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sight unseen

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sight

  [sahyt]
Use sight unseen in a Sentence
–noun
1. the power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes; vision.
2. an act, fact, or instance of seeing.
3. one's range of vision on some specific occasion: Land is in sight.
4. a view; glimpse.
5. mental perception or regard; judgment.
6. something seen or worth seeing; spectacle: the sights of London.
7. Informal. something unusual, surprising, shocking, or distressing: They were a sight after the fight.
8. Commerce.
a. presentation of a bill of exchange: a draft payable at two months after sight.
b. a showing of goods, esp. gems, held periodically for wholesalers.
9. Older Use. a multitude; great deal: It's a sight better to work than to starve.
10. an observation taken with a surveying, navigating, or other instrument to ascertain an exact position or direction.
11. any of various mechanical or optical viewing devices, as on a firearm or surveying instrument, for aiding the eye in aiming.
12. Obsolete. skill; insight.
–verb (used with object)
13. to see, glimpse, notice, or observe: to sight a ship to the north.
14. to take a sight or observation of (a stake, coastline, etc.), esp. with surveying or navigating instruments.
15. to direct or aim by a sight or sights, as a firearm.
16. to provide with sights or adjust the sights of, as a gun.
–verb (used without object)
17. to aim or observe through a sight.
18. to look carefully in a certain direction.
—Idioms
19. at first sight, at the first glimpse; at once: It was love at first sight.
20. at sight,
a. immediately upon seeing, esp. without referring elsewhere for assurance, further information, etc.: to translate something at sight.
b. Commerce. on presentation: a draft payable at sight.
21. catch sight of, to get a glimpse of; espy: We caught sight of the lake below.
22. know by sight, to recognize (a person or thing) seen previously: I know him by sight, but I know nothing about him.
23. not by a long sight, Informal. definitely not: Is that all? Not by a long sight.
24. on or upon sight, immediately upon seeing: to shoot him on sight; to recognize someone on sight.
25. out of sight,
a. beyond one's range of vision.
b. Informal. beyond reason; exceedingly high: The price is out of sight.
c. Slang. (often used interjectionally) fantastic; marvelous: a ceremony so glamorous it was out of sight.
26. sight for sore eyes, someone or something whose appearance on the scene is cause for relief or gladness.
27. sight unseen, without previous examination: to buy something sight unseen.
Origin:
bef. 950; ME (n.); OE sihth (more often gesihth, gesiht; c. G Gesicht face; cf. y- ), deriv. of sēon to see 1 ; see -th 1

Related forms:
sight⋅a⋅ble, adjective
sighter, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sight   (sīt)   
n.  

  1. The ability to see.

  2. The act or fact of seeing: hoping for a sight of land; caught sight of a rare bird.

  3. Field of vision.

  4. The foreseeable future; prospect: no solution in sight.

  5. Mental perception or consideration: We lost sight of the purpose of our visit.

  6. Something seen; a view.

  7. Something worth seeing; a spectacle: the sights of London.

  8. Informal Something unsightly: Your hair is a sight.

    1. A device used to assist aim by guiding the eye, as on a firearm or surveying instrument.

    2. An aim or observation taken with such a device.

  10. An opportunity to observe or inspect.

  11. Upper Southern U.S. A large number or quantity: A sight of people were there.

v.   sight·ed, sight·ing, sights

v.   tr.

  1. To perceive with the eyes; get sight of: sighted land after 40 days at sea.

  2. To observe through a sight or an optical instrument: sight a target.

  3. To adjust the sights of (a rifle, for example).

  4. To take aim with (a firearm).

v.   intr.

  1. To direct one's gaze; look carefully.

  2. To take aim: sighted along the barrel of the gun.


[Middle English, from Old English sihth, gesiht, something seen; see sekw-2 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: sight
Function: adjective
: payable on presentation —see also sight draft at DRAFT
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: sight
Pronunciation: 'sIt
Function: noun
1 : something that is seen
2 : the process, power, or function of seeing;specifically : the one of the five basic physical senses by which light stimuli received by the eye are interpreted by the brain in the construction of a representation of the position,shape, brightness, and usually color of objects in the real world
3 a : a perception of an object by the eye b : the range of vision
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

sight (sīt)
n.

  1. The ability to see.

  2. Field of vision.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

sight unseen

Without having viewed the object in question, as in He bought the horse sight unseen. This seeming oxymoronhow can a sight, which means something seen, be not seen?dates from the late 1800s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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