This word confusion arose from my own curiosity. When does one use about or approximate?
Not so surprisingly, both words are fairly similar, aaaand about is more, well, about location or movement. When about refers to numbers, it’s used in a very general way. “He’s about 35” which could be translated into “he could be anywhere from 30 to 37”. It’s more of a best guess.
Approximate is more scientific — the examples below certainly sound stuffy! Numbers-wise, approximate expects any “guesses” to be reasonably accurate.
Let alone the parts of grammar to which they belong!
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| About | Approximate |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adverb; Preposition | Adjective; Verb, intransitive & transitive Third person present verb: approximates |
| Adverb: [Mainly British] Used to indicate movement in an area [Mainly British] Used to express location in a particular place [Used with a number or quantity] Approximately Preposition: Concerning
Used to indicate movement within a particular area Used to express location in a particular place
|
Adjective: Close to the actual, but not completely accurate or exact Verb, intransitive: Verb, transitive:
|
| Examples: | |
| Adverb: Men were floundering about as if a tidal wave had hit. I’m slowly finding my way about. There was a lot of flu about this past winter. There’s a thief about in the hotel. It was reduced by about 5 percent. I dunno, he’s about 35. How’s about us havin’ a little fun? She’s just about here, Mac. Preposition: There was an article about yellow fever in the latest issue. It’s all about having fun. There’s nothing we can do about it. She looked about the room but didn’t find him. There were rugs strewn about the hall. He produced a knife from somewhere about his person. There was a look about her that said everything. |
Adjective: The calculations are very approximate. Verb, intransitive: Verb, transitive: I had to approximate the weight of my horse. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adverb: approximately Noun: approximating |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| Old English onbūtan, from on + būtan (outside of). | Late Middle English, in the adjectival sense of close, similar is from the late Latin approximatus, a past participle of approximare, from ad- (to) + proximus (very near).
Early 19th century for the current adjectival sense. Mid-17th century, in the verb sense of bring close. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
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Revised as of 16 Oct 2022
By: Kathy Davie
