Is there a word for this? 1

[ChrisHunt]

Inspired by Thadeus' thread thread1256-1613926 , here's a similar one. I was wrestling with this when writing a blog post a few days back:

Is there a word which describes the property of "having a good view", as applied to a building.

There are words like scenic and picturesque - but those apply to the views themselves, rather than the place from which you can enjoy them.

Any ideas?

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[ChrisHunt]

The question calls for a noun, not an adjective.

Actually, I'm looking for an adjective, not a noun. I probably should have said that explicitly.

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[KenCunningham]

Eye-candy? Possibly not quite the same context however ;-)

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[carp]

For adjectives, I think you're back to "scenic"-the dictionary definition includes "Constituting or affording pleasing views of natural features". It brings to mind Greyhound buses in the late 50s/early 60s. They had an elevated section with an expanded roof and windows; their commercial name was "Scenicruiser".

 

[Thadeus]

Actually, he definitely says he wants an adjective, when he states that the word he wants "describes the property of..." "...as applied to a building".

I had written a post about possession and ownership which I don't see in the thread, so I must have dumped it before posting... From what I remember, it related to the building's 'ownership' of the view. Which dovetails well with the concept of 'commanding' a view as mentioned above.

I definitely do not feel that overlook works simply because the view could be both 'scenic' and 'picturesque' without overlooking anything. It could be a small cabin in a hollow at the base of a valley, in a tiny clearing with a stream and mountains towering over on either side... Yes the cabin may overlook the clearing and the stream, but one would be hard pressed to describe the cabin as an overlook or observatory or vantage point. One very well may describe the clearing, the stream, and indeed the towering mountains as scenic and picturesque and the cabin as then having a view onto this scenic and picturesque landscape.

But what word does describe the cabin with such a view AND describe the mansions overlooking San Fernando valley AND describes the Beach house in Maine or Miami? I can't think that there is a single one word that will handle these 'descriptions' adequately.

~Thadeus

 

[CajunCenturion]

Very well, adjective it is, and overlook will not work as an adjective.

As far as an adjective meaning "having a good view", I have nothing off the top of my head.


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[Annihilannic]

I have nothing off the top of my head.

Perhaps if you were taller?

Annihilannic.

 

[CajunCenturion]

He he he - probably wouldn't help.

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[snuv]

Vantageous?

Its not specific to a building but vantage can mean a point with a good view. It has the same roots as advantage and advantageous is the adjective form.

"If it could have gone wrong earlier and it didn't, it ultimately would have been beneficial for it to have." : Murphy's Ultimate Corollary

 

[1DMF]

Focal Point?

Focal point is a critical point of a distance function.

critical point = building
distance function = to look or to view

or slang... focalicious!




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[kwbMitel]

I'm still liking Resplendant.

Splendid or dazzling in appearance; brilliant

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[2ffat]

A "resplendent edifice" does have a nice ring to it.


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[CajunCenturion]

How about belvedere?

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[EdwardMartinIII]

Resplendent" certainly is a pretty word, but were I to read that in a house description, I would expect it to apply to the house. That is, I would expect the house to be resplendent, to be dazzling in appearance.

I have not encountered a single word that fits the base request, for an adjective that applies to the house, but describes the house's view.

Interesting...

I would investigate similar words in other directions. For example, what similar words in, say, biology, apply to an animal or plant, but describe what it sees or otherwise experiences?

Off the top of my head (I am somewhat tall), I immediately think of "blind." "Blind" describes an animal based on it's view (that is, what it sees).

Other than "sighted," (which is clumsy) we don't have a particularly rich antonym for "blind."

An interesting branch of thought might be to describe a house as "synesthetic," which still doesn't flow trippingly from the tongue, but will intrigue people who have a vocabulary beyond the third grade. I got to that word by asking myself "what do you call a person who can see particularly beautiful things?" which -- if a house were a person -- would be the way I'd explore this hunt.

Nothing solid, but (shrug) maybe a new avenue of exploration...




Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

Sorry for the typo. Meant "...based on its view."


Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[kwbMitel]

Edward Re:Resplendent. We've established that the word were looking for is an adjective and as such you need to include the noun that it modifies. I doubt very much that if you read "there is a resplendent view" that you would apply that description to building rather than the view.





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[CajunCenturion]

Quoting from the Op

There are words like scenic and picturesque - but those apply to the views themselves, rather than the place from which you can enjoy them.

==> "there is a resplendent view"
That applies to the view itself, rather than the place from which it can be enjoyed.

I know that belvedere is a noun, but it means "building with a view"
belvedere
belvedere

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[kwbMitel]

CC -Correction noted. It's just that the original wording is really not possible. Like yourself, I interpreted the original meaning to be looking for a noun. Nouns do not describle things so I starting using adjectives and lost track of which noun they needed to modify.

my 2 bits, this is not possible, but I've been wrong before.

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[EdwardMartinIII]

We've established that the word were looking for is an adjective..."

That is apparent from the original post. My suggestions were also adjectives.

"...as such you need to include the noun that it modifies."

Of course. That noun is "house."

"I doubt very much that if you read "there is a resplendent view" that you would apply that description to building rather than the view."

Naturally. In your example, you have ignored the premise that the adjective must modify the noun "house," which I thought was a requirement of the original post, and specifically why I wrote "'Resplendent' certainly is a pretty word, but were I to read that in a house description, I would expect it to apply to the house."

To clarify, if the description read "This house is resplendent," (such that the noun is obvious), then that says nothing about the view whatsoever. On the other hand, if the description reads "The view is resplendent," that has nothing whatsoever to do with a house.

Any adjective that is not modifying "house," doesn't "count," by the requirements of the original post.

The original post is asking for a very interesting thing -- it is asking for an adjective that describes an item by how that item filters perception.

This is rather subtle.



Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

Belvedere is an interesting word. Probably the closest I've seen (well, "pricey" was funny-close). Nice catch!

It could be adjectivized to "belevederish," perhaps to come close?

I'm intrigued by an aspect of the definition, though -- it seems to require that the house be positioned or designed to command a view.

If a house is poorly positioned or designed (for example, it has no windows), but the property still has a good view, does it fail to be a belvedere, yet still fit the requirements of the original post?


Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[snuv]

Belvoir (pronounced 'beaver' in the UK) means beautiful view and is the name of a castle (Belvoir Castle)

It could be used as an adjective...

[URL unfurl="true"]http://www.belvoircastle.com/[/url]

"If it could have gone wrong earlier and it didn't, it ultimately would have been beneficial for it to have." : Murphy's Ultimate Corollary