different between sphere vs perspective

English

Alternative forms

• sphære (archaic)
• sphear (archaic)
• spheare (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English spere, from Old French sphere, from Late Latin sph?ra, earlier Latin sphaera (“ball, globe, celestial sphere”), from Ancient Greek ?????? (sphaîra, “ball, globe”), of unknown origin. Not related to superficially similar Persian ????? (sepehr, “sky”) (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /sf??/
• (US) enPR: sfîr, IPA^(key): /sf??/
• Rhymes: -??(r)

Noun

sphere (plural spheres)

1. (mathematics) A regular three-dimensional object in which every cross-section is a circle; the figure described by the revolution of a circle about its diameter [from 14th c.].
2. A spherical physical object; a globe or ball. [from 14th c.]
   • 2011, Piers Sellers, The Guardian, 6 July:

     So your orientation changes a little bit but it sinks in that the world is a sphere, and you're going around it, sometimes under it, sideways, or over it.

3. (astronomy, now rare) The apparent outer limit of space; the edge of the heavens, imagined as a hollow globe within which celestial bodies appear to be embedded. [from 14th c.]
   • 1635, John Donne, "His parting form her":

     Though cold and darkness longer hang somewhere, / Yet Phoebus equally lights all the Sphere.

4. (historical, astronomy, mythology) Any of the concentric hollow transparent globes formerly believed to rotate around the Earth, and which carried the heavenly bodies; there were originally believed to be eight, and later nine and ten; friction between them was thought to cause a harmonious sound (the music of the spheres). [from 14th c.]
   • , vol.1, p.153:

     It is more simplicitie to teach our children […] [t]he knowledge of the starres, and the motion of the eighth spheare, before their owne.

   • 1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, I.6:

     They understood not the motion of the eighth sphear from West to East, and so conceived the longitude of the Stars invariable.

5. (mythology) An area of activity for a planet; or by extension, an area of influence for a god, hero etc. [from 14th c.]
6. (figuratively) The region in which something or someone is active; one's province, domain. [from 17th c.]
   • 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.20:

     They thought – originally on grounds derived from religion – that each thing or person had its or his proper sphere, to overstep which is ‘unjust’.

7. (geometry) The set of all points in three-dimensional Euclidean space (or n-dimensional space, in topology) that are a fixed distance from a fixed point [from 20th c.].
8. (logic) The extension of a general conception, or the totality of the individuals or species to which it may be applied.

Synonyms

• (object): ball, globe, orb
• (region of activity): area, domain, field, orbit, sector
• (in geometry): 3-sphere (geometry), 2-sphere (topology)
• (astronomy: apparent surface of the heavens): See celestial sphere
• (astronomy: anything visible on the apparent surface of the heavens): See celestial body

Derived terms

• blogosphere
• ensphere
• sphere of influence
• sphere of interest

Related terms

• atmosphere
• hemisphere
• ionosphere
• planisphere
• spherical
• spheroid
• stratosphere
• troposphere

Translations

Verb

sphere (third-person singular simple present spheres, present participle sphering, simple past and past participle sphered)

1. (transitive) To place in a sphere, or among the spheres; to ensphere.
2. (transitive) To make round or spherical; to perfect.

See also

• ball (in topology)
• Mathworld article on the sphere
• PlanetMath article on the sphere

Anagrams

• Hesper, herpes, pesher, pheers

Middle French

Alternative forms

• sphaere
• spere

Noun

sphere f (plural spheres)

1. sphere (shape)

Descendants

• French: sphère

Old French

Alternative forms

• espere
• esphere
• spere

Noun

sphere f (oblique plural spheres, nominative singular sphere, nominative plural spheres)

1. sphere (shape)

Descendants

• English: sphere
• French: sphère

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (sphere, supplement)

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^(key): /p??sp?kt?v/

Noun

perspective (countable and uncountable, plural perspectives)

1. A view, vista or outlook.
2. The appearance of depth in objects, especially as perceived using binocular vision.
3. The technique of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface.
4. (dated) An artwork that represents three-dimensional objects in this way.
5. (figuratively) The choice of a single angle or point of view from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience.
6. The ability to consider things in such relative perspective.
7. 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 […]

8. A sound recording technique to adjust and integrate sound sources seemingly naturally.

Hyponyms

• linear perspective
• metaperspective
• microperspective

Derived terms

• point-projection perspective
• side-perspective

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

perspective (not comparable)

1. Of, in or relating to perspective.

2. (obsolete) Providing visual aid; of or relating to the science of vision; optical.
   • 1612, Francis Bacon, Of Seeming Wise

     perspective glasses

Translations

Further reading

• Perspective (graphical) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• 3D_projection#Perspective_projection on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin perspect?vus, from perspici?

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p??.sp?k.tiv/

Noun

perspective f (plural perspectives)

1. perspective
2. prospect

Derived terms

• en perspective

Descendants

• ? Danish: perspektiv
• ? Norwegian Bokmål: perspektiv
• ? Norwegian Nynorsk: perspektiv
• ? Swedish: perspektiv

Adjective

perspective

1. feminine singular of perspectif

Further reading

• “perspective” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Portuguese

Verb

perspective

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of perspectivar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of perspectivar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of perspectivar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of perspectivar