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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Defense Department, which employs nearly 3 million people, has remained the one exception, given the military does not fall under the purview of the ADA. —

Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 16 Jan. 2025 Under a law passed in 2022, special envoys that technically report to the State Department require confirmation by the Senate, although its unclear if Trump’s envoys will get around the need for confirmation if housed under the purview of the White House. —

Laura Kelly, The Hill, 15 Jan. 2025 There’s also the question of studio; Universal Studio Group, which consists of Universal Television, UCP and UIS, will come under the purview of Donna Langley, Chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment and Studios. —

Peter White, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025 Each and every one of us must learn the skills that were once the purview of journalists. —

Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for purview