definitions

perspective

[ per-spek-tiv ]
/ pərˈspɛk tɪv /

noun

adjective

of or relating to the art of perspective, or represented according to its laws.

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Nearby words

personned, personnel, personnel agency, personnel department, persorption, perspective, perspectivism, perspex, perspicacious, perspicacity, perspicuity

Origin of perspective

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin perspectīva (ars) optical (science), perspectīvum optical glass, noun uses of feminine and neuter of perspectīvus optical, equivalent to Latin perspect-, past participle stem of perspicere to look at closely (see per-, inspect) + -īvus -ive

Related forms

Can be confused

perspective prospective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for non-perspective

perspective

/ (pəˈspɛktɪv) /

noun

a way of regarding situations, facts, etc, and judging their relative importance
the proper or accurate point of view or the ability to see it; objectivitytry to get some perspective on your troubles
the theory or art of suggesting three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface, in order to recreate the appearance and spatial relationships that objects or a scene in recession present to the eye
the appearance of objects, buildings, etc, relative to each other, as determined by their distance from the viewer, or the effects of this distance on their appearance
a view over some distance in space or time; vista; prospect
a picture showing perspective

Derived Forms

perspectively, adverb

Word Origin for perspective

C14: from Medieval Latin perspectīva ars the science of optics, from Latin perspicere to inspect carefully, from per- (intensive) + specere to behold
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for non-perspective

perspective

In drawing or painting, a way of portraying three dimensions on a flat, two-dimensional surface by suggesting depth or distance.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.