approximation

The act, process or result of approximating, as:

Noun

  1. The act, process or result of approximating, as:
    • At the back of the cupboard, you find your interview skirt, the one you bought when you had cash to purchase an approximation of the fashion spreads you mulled over in magazines. - 2018, Tsitsi Dangarembga, This...
    1. (mathematics) An imprecise solution or result that is adequate for a defined purpose.

    2. (medicine) The act of bringing together the edges of tissue to be sutured.

      Synonyms: coaptation

      Coordinate Terms: imbrication

    3. (linguistics) The act of producing a near-simulation of the pronunciation of a foreign language for a loanword therefrom, or any given pronunciation resulting from that act.

      • For some loanwords borrowed from French into English, the standard English pronunciation is an approximation of the French, as with denoument.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin proximō Latin approximō Latin approximātusder. Middle English approximat English approximate Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English -ion English approximation From approximate + -ion.

Forms

approximations

Hyponyms

Born–Oppenheimer approximation stationary phase approximation Stirling's approximation Wien approximation

Related

interpolation

Derived

approximation algorithm approximation error approximation problem approximation property approximation theory misapproximation overapproximation over-approximation pseudoapproximation reapproximation to a first approximation underapproximation