perspective

English Online Dictionary. What means perspective‎? What does perspective mean?

English

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/

Noun

perspective (countable and uncountable, plural perspectives)

1. A view, vista or outlook.
2. The appearance of depth in objects, especially as perceived using binocular vision.
3. The technique of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface.
4. (dated) An artwork that represents three-dimensional objects in this way.
5. (figuratively) The choice of a single angle or point of view from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience.
6. The ability to consider things in such relative perspective.
7. A perspective glass.
8. A sound recording technique to adjust and integrate sound sources seemingly naturally.

Hyponyms

• linear perspective
• metaperspective
• microperspective

Derived terms

• perspectival
• perspectivism
• point-projection perspective
• side-perspective
• twisted perspective

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

perspective (not comparable)

1. Of, in or relating to perspective.

2. (obsolete) Providing visual aid; of or relating to the science of vision; optical.

Translations

See also

• omnispective

Further reading

• Perspective (graphical) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• 3D_projection on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin perspectīvus, from perspiciō

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛʁ.spɛk.tiv/

Noun

perspective f (plural perspectives)

1. perspective
2. prospect

Derived terms

• en perspective

Descendants

• → Danish: perspektiv
• → Norwegian Bokmål: perspektiv
• → Norwegian Nynorsk: perspektiv
• → Swedish: perspektiv
• → Turkish: perspektif

Adjective

perspective

1. feminine singular of perspectif

Further reading

• “perspective”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Portuguese

Verb

perspective

1. inflection of perspectivar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative