perspective

B2 Topic:Photography & Images

US /pɚˈspɛk.tɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #4926

Meanings

1

noun
A particular way of thinking about or judging a situation.

Usage: For a point of view, use from someone's perspective or a perspective on an issue. It identifies the position from which someone understands a situation.

Working at the clinic gave her a new perspective on the town's transport problems.

Living abroad gave her a new perspective on her own country.
2

noun
The way of drawing objects so that they appear to have depth and distance.

Art students learn how to use perspective in their drawings.
3

noun
A view or outlook over something.

From the hilltop, we had a wide perspective over the valley.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a particular way of... point of view position

2 noun · the way of drawing objects... linear perspective

Word family

Forms perspectives

Derived forms bioperspectivemacroperspectivemultiperspectiveperspectivalperspectivationperspectivelessperspectivelyperspectivicperspectivismperspectivistperspectivisticperspectivity

Related forms omnispectiveperspectographperspectographyperspicacious perspicacity perspicuity perspicuousperspicuously

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

linear perspective
a drawing method that represents depth using lines that appear to converge with distance

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Perspective entered late Middle English as a term for the science of optics, from medieval Latin perspectiva ars “science of optics.” Perspectiva derives from Latin perspicere “look at closely.” The familiar artistic sense involving spatial representation developed near the end of the 16th century.

Etymology

Through French and Medieval Latin optical terms, from Latin perspicere, to look through, combining per- with specere. The modern viewpoint sense extends a word associated with sight.

*speḱ- Proto-Indo-European perspective Middle English perspectiva la-med perspectivus Latin specere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Photography & Images General Vocabulary

External links

# perspective

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /pɚˈspɛk.tɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 4926

## Meanings
1. A particular way of thinking about or judging a situation.
2. The way of drawing objects so that they appear to have depth and distance.
3. A view or outlook over something.

## Usage Notes
- A particular way of thinking about or judging a situation.: For a point of view, use from someone's perspective or a perspective on an issue. It identifies the position from which someone understands a situation.

## Examples
- Working at the clinic gave her a new perspective on the town's transport problems.
- Living abroad gave her a new perspective on her own country.
- Art students learn how to use perspective in their drawings.
- From the hilltop, we had a wide perspective over the valley.

## Derived Forms
- bioperspective
- macroperspective
- multiperspective
- perspectival
- perspectivation
- perspectiveless
- perspectively
- perspectivic
- perspectivism
- perspectivist
- perspectivistic
- perspectivity

## Related Forms
- omnispective
- perspectograph
- perspectography
- perspicacious
- perspicacity
- perspicuity
- perspicuous
- perspicuously

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *speḱ-
- Root: perspective
- Root: perspectiva
- Root: perspectivus
- Root: specere - to look at

## Etymology
Through French and Medieval Latin optical terms, from Latin perspicere, to look through, combining per- with specere. The modern viewpoint sense extends a word associated with sight.

## AI Etymology
Perspective comes 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”). In present-day English it covers a particular way of thinking about or judging a situation, the way of drawing objects so that they appear to have depth and distance, and a view or outlook over something. The wider family includes derived forms such as bioperspective, macroperspective, multiperspective, perspectival, perspectivation and related forms such as omnispective, perspectograph, perspectography, perspicacious.

## Topics
- Photography & Images
- General Vocabulary

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