əˌpräksəˈmāshən noun
( -s )
1. : the action of coming or bringing near or close together
effectively prevents approximation of viable parietal and visceral tissues — Surgical Forum
2. : the state of being near
an approximation to the truth
: an approach especially to a correct estimate, calculation, or conception or to a given quantity or quality
to deal with crude approximations and somewhat meaningless generalities — W.A.Noyes
3. mathematics
a. : a continual approach to a correct result
solve an equation by successive approximation
b. : a value that is nearly but not exactly correct