perspective
/pɚˈspɛk.tɪv/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.56 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The appearance of depth in objects, especially as perceived using binocular vision.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The technique of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An artwork that represents three-dimensional objects in this way.
Countable; Dated; Uncountable
noun
The choice of a single angle or point of view from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "And according to Hughes, HM Treasury is still sceptical about rail electrification. "It's not because they don't see electrification as a good thing, but I think when you look at it from the UK-wide perspective, if you have £x billion to spend on decarbonisation, you don't necessarily start with rail. Rail's not where you get the biggest bang for the buck in terms of decarbonisation.""
- "[…] our predecessors; who could never have believed, that there were such lunets about some of the planets, as our late perspectives have descried […]"
- "a perspective drawing"
- "perspective glasses"
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”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *speḱ-, perspective, -, perspectiva, perspectivus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pɚˈspɛk.tɪv/