approach
verb
- physically getting closer to something
- treat, deal with
- move towards, movement towards something
noun
- phase of a flight between cruise and landing
- process of dealing with a situation
- move towards, movement towards something
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /əˈpɹəʊt͡ʃ/ / /əˈpɹoʊt͡ʃ/
noun
Etymology: From Middle English approche (“approach, arrival”), from approchen, aprochen (“to come or go near, approach; to adjoin, be close by; to enter (someone’s) presence; to be or become involved; to reach (a certain state); to arrive; to befall, happen to; to become similar to, resemble; to be a match for (someone)”); see etymology 1.
- An act of drawing near in place or time; an advancing or coming near.
“Ah, what a ſigne it is of euill life, Where death's approach is ſeene ſo terrible.”
“Nauar had notice of your faire approch. And he and his compettitours in oth, Were all addreſt to meete you gentle Lady Before I came: […]”
- An act of coming near in character or value; an approximation.
“The canine, judging from the figures published by M. [Édouard] Lartet, seems to be less developed than in the male chimpanzees, gorillas and orang. In which character the fossil, if it belonged to a male, makes a nearer approach to the human type; but it is one which many of the inferior monkeys also exhibit, and is by no means to be trusted as significant of true affinity, supposing even the sex of the fossil to be known as being male.”
- An avenue, passage, or way by which a building or place can be approached; an access.
“Where are my lines then? my approaches? views? Where are my window-ſongs?”
“[…] he ſaw As of the ſun or moon illuming clear The palace of Phæacia's mighty King. […] Maſtiffs, in gold and ſilver, lined the approach On either ſide, by art celeſtial framed Of Vulcan, guardian of Alcinoüs gate For ever, unobnoxious to decay.”
- An avenue, passage, or way by which a building or place can be approached; an access.
- A manner of making (a policy) or solving (a problem, etc.).
“Our proposed definitional approach to the data processing-communications dilemma evoked considerable discussion. There is uniform disagreement and confusion as to the regulatory implications of the proposed definitional terms.”
“Its [the United States Environmental Protection Agency's] initial approach to controlling the amount of lead in the ambient air was to limit lead emissions from automobiles by restricting the amount of lead in gasoline.”
- An opportunity of drawing near; access.
“Honour hath three Things in it: The Vantage Ground to doe Good: The approach to Kings and principall Persons: And the Raiſing of a Mans owne Fortunes.”
“The Learned met with free Approach, Although they came not in a Coach.”
- The way an aircraft comes in to land at an airport.
“Most small airplanes maintain a speed well in excess of 1.3 times V_(SO) on an instrument approach. An airplane with a stall speed of 50 knots (V_(SO)) has a normal approach speed of 65 knots.”
- The way an aircraft comes in to land at an airport.
“We flew the RNAV/GPS A approach to runway 16.”
- The area before the lane in which a bowler may stand or run up before bowling the ball.
- Ellipsis of approach shot.
verb
Etymology: From Middle English aprochen, borrowed from Old French aprochier (modern French approcher), from Late Latin appropiāre, a verb based on Latin prope (“near”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pro- (a variant of *per- (“before, in front; first”)) + *-kʷe (“suffix forming distributives from interrogatives”)).
- To come or go near, in place or time; to move toward; to advance nearer; to draw nigh.
“She approached the door cautiously.”
“We were approached by a stranger asking for directions.”
- To play an approach shot.
- Used intransitively, followed by to: to draw near (to someone or something); to make advances; to approximate or become almost equal.
“He approaches to the character of the ablest statesman.”
“The great source, as it appears to me, of the power of the Divine Comedy [by Dante Alighieri], is the strong belief with which the story seems to be told. In this respect, the only books which approach to its excellence are Gulliver's Travels and Robinson Crusoe.”
- Of an immovable object or a number of such objects: to be positioned as to (notionally) appear to be moving towards (a place).
“As we drove along the driveway, the trees approaching the house seemed more eerie.”
“[T]here appears a seeming mount, made up of trees rising one higher than another, in proportion as they approach the centre.”
- To move toward (someone or something) in place, time, character, or value; to draw nearer to.
““Would counsel please approach the bench?” asked the judge.”
“He approached the age of manhood.”
- To bring (something) near something else; to cause (something) to draw near.
“"My story is not long," said the artist; "but your honour had better sit while you listen to it." So saying, he approached to the fire a three-footed stool, and took another himself, […]”
- Used when defining limits, preceded by as: To become arbitrarily close to some value, be it a number, vector or infinity and have an effect on another value.
- To attempt to make (a policy) or solve (a problem).
“Mr. Moonlight Quill, mysterious, exotic, and oriental in temperament was, nevertheless, a man of decision. And it was with decision that he approached the problem of his wrecked shop.”
- To bring up or propose to (someone) an idea, question, request, etc.
“"Why bother publishing my conversations. It has not helped you, and it is not going to help anybody else", said U. G. when I approached him with the idea of publishing excerpts from his conversations with the constant stream of people who go to visit him.”
- To have sexual intercourse with (someone).
“None of you ſhall approche to any that is neere of kinne to him, to vncouer their nakedneſſe: I am the Lord.”
- To take approaches to (a place); to move towards (a place) by using covered roads, trenches, or other works.