approché

Approché is a French term that functions as the masculine form of the past participle of the verb approcher, and as an adjective meaning near or close, as well as approximate when used with measurements or values. The feminine form is approchée and the plural is approchés or approchées, depending on the noun.

As an adjective, approché expresses proximity in space or time. For example, on peut dire une ville approchée to indicate a nearby city, or une arrivée approchée to refer to a near arrival. In many contexts, however, the sense of near is more common in literary or descriptive use, while the term tends to be replaced by proche or voisin plus frequently in everyday speech.

As an adjective indicating approximation, approché is widely used with numbers, quantities, and measurements. Expressions such as valeur approchée, estimation approchée, or distance approchée denote an estimate or approximate value. For instance, la valeur approchée de pi est 3,14, or la distance approchée entre deux points est d’environ 50 kilomètres. In scientific and technical writing, approché signals that a result is not exact but intentionally rounded or estimated.

Relation to other terms: approché is not the same as the noun approche, which denotes the act or process of approaching or the method or strategy used to address a problem. The form approchée must agree with the noun it modifies.

In summary, approché bridges notions of closeness and approximation, widely used in mathematical, scientific, and descriptive French.