purview

noun

pur·view ˈpər-ˌvyü

Synonyms of purview next

: the body or enacting part of a statute

: the limit, purpose, or scope of a statute

: the range or limit of authority, competence, responsibility, concern, or intention

: range of vision, understanding, or cognizance

Did you know?

It may not be illogical to assume a connection between purview and view, but is there one? Not exactly. Although the two words share a syllable, you’ll find that they have very different histories as viewed in the etymological rearview mirror. Purview comes from purveu, a word often found in the legal statutes of 13th- and 14th-century England. These statutes, written in Anglo-French, regularly open with the phrase purveu est, which translates literally to "it is provided." Purveu in turn comes from porveu, the past participle of the Old French verb porveeir, meaning "to provide." View, on the other hand, comes (via Middle English) from the past participle of another Anglo-French word, veer, meaning "to see," and ultimately from the Latin word vidēre, of the same meaning.

Examples of purview in a Sentence

After the true shock and awe of a campaign of massive surplus, as in the Gulf War, no regime would have risked its survival by failing to go after the terrorists within its purview. —

Mark Helprin, Wall Street Journal, 17 May 2004

It is the use of informal, back channels outside public or congressional purview—designed partly to thwart publicity and partly to hold down the temperature of disputes within the government—that critics say denies the protections of open government. —

Bob Woodward et al., Washington Post, 20-26 Jan. 1992

… the contemporary university, though, has reached beyond the purview of education, and it has thereby become entangled in problems it lacks the means to resolve. —

Louis Menand, Harper's, December 1991

The case is within the court's purview. That question is outside my purview. The moral dilemmas of the early settlers are beyond the purview of this book.

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

The assertion that justice is core to adaptation might not seem like the purview of science, but its relation to the rate of change warrants exploration. —

John Sabo, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 Over time, their purview could also grow to handling larger tasks and taking more steps without involving people. —

Ina Fried, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024 According to the Foundation, the authorization fell under the purview of fair use. —

Patricia Failing, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2024 Although responsible gaming measures likely mitigate gambling problems, especially those of players and coaches and other individuals governed by leagues and unions, they’re limited in purview. —

Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for purview