What does "approximate" mean?

Approximate: Near correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate; as, approximate results or values. Approximate quantities (Math.), those which are nearly, but not, equal.

Additional senses

  1. 2.To carry or advance near; to cause to approach. To approximate the inequality of riches to the level of nature. Burke.
  2. 3.To come near to; to approach. The telescope approximates perfection. J. Morse.
  3. 4.To draw; to approach.

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