Word Origin & History
scope"extent," 1534, "room to act," from It. scopo "aim, purpose, object, thing aimed at, mark, target," from L. scopus, from Gk. skopos "aim, target, watcher," from PIE *spek- "to observe" (cf. Skt. spasati "sees;" Avestan spasyeiti "spies;" Gk. skopein "behold, look, consider," skeptesthai "to look at;"
L. specere "to look at;" O.H.G. spehhon "to spy," Ger. spähen "to spy"). Sense of "distance the mind can reach, extent of view" first recorded c.1600.
scope"instrument for viewing," 1872, abstracted from telescope, microscope, etc., from Gk. skopein "to look" (see
scope (1)). Earlier used as a shortening of horoscope (c.1600). The verb is recorded from 1807.