the.com/approximate
close enough to be useful, honest enough to admit it's not exact.
means near a value or state without claiming to hit it precisely.
from from latin approximare, ad- (toward) plus proximare (to come near), itself from proximus, meaning nearest.
symbol originthe tilde came from medieval scribes abbreviating nasal sounds
math cousinthe wavy equals sign means asymptotically equal, not just close
legal usecontracts use approximate to dodge liability for small errors
for instance
census population figures — us census reports estimates, not exact headcounts, every ten years
weather forecasts — 70% chance of rain is an approximation dressed as a promise
gps location pin — phones show a blue circle because your position is a guess