purview

noun

pur·​view ˈpər-ˌvyü 

1

a

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

The case is within the court's purview.

That question is beyond my purview.

The show wasn't without flaws—some of which stretched beyond the singer's purview.

—Bob Gendron

b

: range of vision, understanding, or cognizance

… when some feature of the environment or some event comes into our purview and demands our immediate and conscious attention.

—Derek Bickerton

2

a

: the body or enacting part of a statute

b

: the limit, purpose, or scope of a statute

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

Is tragicomedy likewise the purview of those who are comfortably removed from the world’s worst horrors? —Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026

Missile launches under the Army and Navy’s purview had shifted to SLC-46. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2026

The distinction is in determining which slice of the work is irreplaceable and the main purview of humans, and which slices can be delegated to AI. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 12 June 2026

Yet, the directive’s influence will likely stretch far beyond the purview of the GSA. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 12 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English purveu, from Anglo-French purveu est it is provided (opening phrase of a statute)

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for purview

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Legal Definition

purview

noun

pur·​view ˈpər-ˌvyü 

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

Etymology

Anglo-French purveu est it is provided (opening phrase of a statute)