From the American Heritage Dictionary:\n\nap·pa·ri·tion (²p”…-r¹sh“…n) n. 1. A ghostly figure; a specter. 2. A sudden or unusual sight. 3. The act of appearing; appearance. [Middle English apparicioun, from Old French apparition, from Late Latin app³riti½, app³riti½n-, an appearance, from Latin app³ritus, past participle of app³r¶re, to appear. See APPEAR.] --ap”pa·ri“tion·al adj.\n=======================================================\n\na apparition is like a vision of someone... that you might see in a vision.  its a sometimes obscure or ghost-like image.