perspective
English
Illustration of the use of perspective to create the perception of depth in a two-dimensional projection.
Etymology
From Middle English perspective, perspectif, attested since 1381, from Old French or Middle French, from the first word of the Medieval Latin perspectiva ars (“science of optics”), the feminine of Latin perspectivus (“of sight, optical”), from perspectus, the past participle of perspicere (“to inspect, look through”), itself from per- (“through”) + specere (“to look at”); the noun sense was influenced or mediated by Italian prospettiva, from prospetto (“prospect”).
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /pɚˈspɛk.tɪv/
Audio (US) (file)
Noun
perspective (countable and uncountable, plural perspectives)
- A view, vista or outlook.
- The appearance of depth in objects, especially as perceived using binocular vision.
- The technique of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface.
- (dated) An artwork that represents three-dimensional objects in this way.
- (figuratively) The choice of a single angle or point of view from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience.
- The ability to consider things in such relative perspective.
- A perspective glass.
- 1645, Joseph Hall, The Peace-Maker
- […] our predecessors; who could never have believed, that there were such lunets about some of the planets, as our late perspectives have descried […]
- 1645, Joseph Hall, The Peace-Maker
- A sound recording technique to adjust and integrate sound sources seemingly naturally.
Hyponyms
- linear perspective
- metaperspective
- microperspective
Derived terms
- perspectivism
- point-projection perspective
- side-perspective
Related terms
- perspicacious
- perspicacity
- perspicuity
- perspicuous
- perspicuously
- put something into perspective
Translations
view, vista or outlook
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appearance of depth in objects
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technique of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface
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choice of a single point of view
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ability to consider things in such relative perspective
perspective glass — see perspective glass
sound recording technique
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Adjective
perspective (not comparable)
- Of, in or relating to perspective.
- a perspective drawing
- (obsolete) Providing visual aid; of or relating to the science of vision; optical.
- 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Seeming Wise”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, OCLC 863521290:
- perspective glasses
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Translations
of, in or relating to perspective
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Further reading
Perspective (graphical) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - 3D_projection#Perspective_projection on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
French
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin perspectīvus, from perspiciō
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pɛʁ.spɛk.tiv/
Audio (file)
Noun
perspective f (plural perspectives)
- perspective
- prospect
- Elle était très effrayée par la perspective de perdre son emploi.
- She was frightened at the prospect of losing her job.
Derived terms
- en perspective
Descendants
- → Danish: perspektiv
- → Norwegian Bokmål: perspektiv
- → Norwegian Nynorsk: perspektiv
- → Swedish: perspektiv
- → Turkish: perspektif
Adjective
perspective
- feminine singular of perspectif
Further reading
- “perspective”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Portuguese
Verb
perspective
- inflection of perspectivar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative