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panorama

pan·o·ram·a [ pànnə rámmə, pànnə rmə ] (plural pan·o·ram·as)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. 360° view: an unobstructed view extending in all directions, especially of a landscape

2. comprehensive survey: an all-encompassing survey of a particular topic or issue

3. picture with wide view: a picture or photograph that has a wide view, especially one that is unrolled gradually in front of the spectator

4. arts 
Same as  cyclorama (sense 1)


[Late 18th century. <pan- + Greek horama "view" < horan "to see"]

pan·o·ram·ic [ pànnə rámmik ] adjective
pan·o·ram·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History

Panorama was coined in the late 1780s by an Irish artist called Robert Barker to describe a method he had invented for painting a scene on the inside of a cylinder in such a way that its perspective would seem correct to somebody viewing it from inside the cylinder. He put his invention into practice in 1793 when he opened his "Panorama," a large building in Leicester Square, London, where the public could come and gaze at such all-encompassing scenes. The modern abstract meaning was in use by the early 19th century.

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