# perspective

Pronunciation: US say "pur-SPEK-tiv" /pɚˈspɛk.tɪv/; UK say "puh-SPEK-tiv" /pəˈspɛk.tɪv/

## Noun

1. A particular standpoint from which something is perceived, judged, or analyzed.
   - Simple: A single way of looking at or thinking about something.
   - _Each historian brings a different perspective to the same set of events._
   - _From an economic perspective, the policy looks far less appealing._
2. The capacity to judge things in proper relation to one another, seeing their true relative importance.
   - Simple: The ability to see what really matters and what does not.
   - _A good night's sleep can restore your perspective on a stressful problem._
   - _Travel gave him the perspective to see his hometown troubles as minor._
3. The technique of depicting solid objects on a flat surface so that they appear to have depth and distance.
   - Simple: A way of drawing so that flat pictures look like they have real depth.
   - _Renaissance painters mastered perspective to give their scenes convincing depth._
   - _The drawing uses perspective to make the hallway recede toward a distant door._
4. An expansive view or outlook over a landscape or scene.
   - Simple: A wide view of an area, especially seen from a high place.
   - _The tower offered a sweeping perspective across the rooftops of the old city._
   - _From the observation deck, visitors enjoy a broad perspective over the harbor and the islands beyond._
7. The perception of depth and distance between objects, aided especially by binocular vision.
   - Simple: The way objects look like they have depth, especially when seen with both eyes.
   - _Binocular vision gives us the perspective needed to catch a ball mid-flight._
   - _Without two working eyes, a person's sense of perspective can be unreliable._

## Adjective

5. Relating to perspective: the representation of depth on a flat surface.
   - Simple: Having to do with showing depth in drawings or pictures.
   - _The architect prepared a perspective view of the proposed building._
   - _Art classes still teach perspective methods developed during the Renaissance._

## Noun

6. A picture or artwork that represents solid objects with depth on a flat surface. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A picture that shows objects with real-looking depth.
   - _Collectors prized the small perspective showing a sunlit courtyard._
   - _Among the drawings in the exhibition was an eighteenth-century perspective of a palace courtyard, its columns shrinking toward a distant gate._

## Adjective

8. Serving as an aid to sight, or having to do with optics and the science of vision. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Helping people see, or relating to eyesight and optics.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A sound recording technique for adjusting and blending sound sources so they seem naturally placed.
- (noun) An optical instrument fitted with lenses for viewing distant objects; a telescope or spyglass.

## Origin

Attested in Middle English since 1381, "perspective" came through Old or Middle French from the first word of the Medieval Latin phrase perspectiva ars ("science of optics"). This traces back to Latin perspicere ("to inspect, look through"), from per- ("through") plus specere ("to look at"), with the noun sense also influenced by Italian prospettiva.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/perspective (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).