A View Is Something Seen and Something Believed
A view is what can be seen from a place, and also an opinion. Both come from seeing.
A view is what can be seen from a particular place, and also an opinion. The second grows from the first: an opinion is where you stand and what you can see from there, which is why we speak of a *point of view*, a *standpoint*, an *outlook* and a *perspective*. All four are positions in space used for positions in argument. *View* comes from Anglo-French *vewe*, from Latin *videre*, to see, the root of *vision*, *evident* and *survey*.
- What is seen. *A sea view.*
- An opinion. *In my view.*
- To look at. *Viewing the house.*
- Point of view. *A point of view.*
- Latin — *videre*, to see. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | view | A view. |
| Verb | view | Viewing. |
| Agent | viewer | A viewer. |
| Related | vision | Vision. |
| Latin | videre | To see. |
- The view from the hill.Scene.
- In my view, no.Opinion.
- Videre means to see.Etymology.
Opinions described as positions
- Point of view — where you are looking from
- Standpoint — where you stand
- Outlook — what you see looking out
- Perspective — the geometry of seeing
- Position — literally where you are placed
Anglo-French *vewe*, from Old French *veue*, from Latin *videre*, to see.
Why does view mean both a scene and an opinion?
Because an opinion is imagined as where you stand and what can be seen from there.
Is survey related?
Yes. It comes from the same Latin verb, meaning to look over something.