Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
Definition of purview - 5 dictionary results

pur⋅view

  [pur-vyoo]
Use purview in a Sentence
–noun
1. the range of operation, authority, control, concern, etc.
2. the range of vision, insight, or understanding.
3. Law.
a. that which is provided or enacted in a statute, as distinguished from the preamble.
b. the purpose or scope of a statute.
4. the full scope or compass of any document, statement, subject, book, etc.
Origin:
1225–75; ME purveu < AF: ptp. of purveier to purvey

Synonyms:
1. scope, responsibility, compass, extent.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To purview
pur·view   (pûr'vyōō')   
n.  
  1. The extent or range of function, power, or competence; scope. See Synonyms at range.
  2. Range of vision, comprehension, or experience; outlook.
  3. Law The body, scope, or limit of a statute.

[Alteration (influenced by view) of Middle English purveu, proviso, from Anglo-Norman purveu est, it is provided (from the use of this word to introduce a proviso), past participle of purveier, to provide; see purvey.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Purview

Pur"view\, n. [OF. purveu, pourveu, F. pourvu, provided, p. p. of OF. porveoir, F. pourvoir. See Purvey, View, and cf. Proviso.]

1. (a) (Law) The body of a statute, or that part which begins with " Be it enacted, " as distinguished from the preamble. --Cowell. (b) Hence: The limit or scope of a statute; the whole extent of its intention or provisions. --Marshall.

Profanations within the purview of several statutes. --Bacon.

2. Limit or sphere of authority; scope; extent.

In determining the extent of information required in the exercise of a particular authority, recourse must be had to the objects within the purview of that authority. --Madison.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

purview 
1442, "body of a statute," from Anglo-Fr. purveuest "it is provided," or purveu que "provided that" (1275), clauses that introduced statutes in old legal documents, from O.Fr. porveu "provided," pp. of porveoir "to provide," from L. providere (see provide). Sense of "scope, extent" is first recorded 1788 in "Federalist" (Madison). Modern sense and spelling influenced by view.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

Main Entry: pur·view
Pronunciation: 'p&r-"vyü
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French purveu est it is provided (opening phrase of a statute)
1 : the body of a statute or the part that begins with Be it enacted and ends before the repealing clause
2 : the limit or scope of a law
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see purview on Thesaurus | Reference