ostentation

English

Etymology

Originated 1425–75 from late Middle English ostentacioun, borrowed from Middle French ostentation, from Latin ostentātiō, ostentātiōnem, equivalent to ostentātus (past participle of ostentāre, to display or exhibit), frequentative of ostendere (“to present, display”) + -iōn.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˌɒstənˈteɪʃən/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

ostentation (usually uncountable, plural ostentations)

Ambitious display; vain show; display intended to excite admiration or applause.
- 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 24–25:
  Sir Henry had consumed his substance in ostentation and riotous hospitality—had fed many at his board, made many merry in his halls, but not a friend was in his house of mourning; the very retainers who had grown rich upon his ruin, seemed to deem the burial of their master but a signal for carousing and license.
(obsolete) A show or spectacle.
- 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
  Let her awhile be secretly kept in,
  And publish it that she is dead indeed:
  Maintain a mourning ostentation;

Synonyms

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