# perspective
## 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: /pɚˈspɛk.tɪv/
* Audio (US):(file)

### Noun

perspective (countable and uncountable, plural perspectives)
* A view, vista or outlook.
** 2025 February 5, Peter Plisner, “East West Rail: progress from west to east”, in RAIL, number 1028, page 30: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."
* The appearance of depth in objects, especially as perceived using binocular vision.
* The technique of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface.
* (dated) An artwork that represents three-dimensional objects in this way.
* (figuratively) The choice of a single angle or point of view from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience.
* The ability to consider things in such relative perspective.
* A perspective glass.
** 1645, Joseph Hall, The Peace-Maker:[…] our predecessors; who could never have believed, that there were such lunets about some of the planets, as our late perspectives have descried […]
* A sound recording technique to adjust and integrate sound sources seemingly naturally.

#### Hyponyms

* linear perspective
* metaperspective
* microperspective

#### Derived terms

* mixed perspective
* perspectival
* perspectivism
* point-projection perspective
* side-perspective
* twisted perspective

#### Related terms

* atmospheric perspective
* forced perspective
* in perspective
* isometric perspective
* perspicacious
* perspicacity
* perspicuity
* perspicuous
* perspicuously
* put something into perspective
* two-point perspective

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Adjective

perspective (not comparable)
* Of, in or relating to perspective.
    a perspective drawing
* (obsolete) Providing visual aid; of or relating to the science of vision; optical.
** 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Seeming Wise”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:perspective glasses

#### 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: /pɛʁ.spɛk.tiv/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

perspective f (plural perspectives)
* perspective
* prospect
    Elle était très effrayée par la perspective de perdre son emploi.She was frightened at the prospect of losing her job.

#### Derived terms

* en perspective

#### Descendants

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

### Adjective

perspective
* feminine singular of perspectif

### Further reading

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

## Portuguese
### Verb

perspective
* inflection of perspectivar:
** first/third-person singular present subjunctive
** third-person singular imperative