Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb At first sight; before closer inspection.
  • adjective True, authentic, or adequate at first sight; ostensible.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun At first view or appearance. See at prime face, under prime, a.
  • noun A case consisting of evidence sufficient to go to the jury: that is to say, one which raises a presumption of fact, and hence will justify a verdict, though it may not require one.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • At first view; on the first appearance.
  • (of a fact) (Law), evidence which is sufficient to establish the fact unless rebutted.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb law at first sight; on the face of it
  • adjective law apparently correct; not needing proof unless evidence to the contrary is shown

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb at first sight
  • adjective as it seems at first sight

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, manifestly, from Latin prīmā faciē : prīmā, feminine ablative of prīmus, first + faciē, ablative of faciēs, shape, face.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin

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Examples

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Comments

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  • at first glance without additional investigation; self-evident; obvious

    November 30, 2007