vista

¹

[ vis-tuh ]

noun

1. a view or prospect, especially one seen through a long, narrow avenue or passage, as between rows of trees or houses.
2. such an avenue or passage, especially when formally planned.
3. a far-reaching mental view:

   vistas of the future.

   Synonyms: vision, outlook, prospect

Vista

²

[ vis-tuh ]

noun

1. a town in SW California.

VISTA

³

[ vis-tuh ]

noun

1. a national program in the U.S., sponsored by ACTION, for sending volunteers into poor areas to teach various job skills.

VISTA

¹

/ ˈvɪstə /

acronym for

1. Volunteers in Service to America; an organization of volunteers established by the Federal government to assist the poor

vista

²

/ ˈvɪstə /

noun

1. a view, esp through a long narrow avenue of trees, buildings, etc, or such a passage or avenue itself; prospect

   a vista of arches

2. a comprehensive mental view of a distant time or a lengthy series of events

   the vista of the future

Derived Forms

• ˈvistaed, adjective
• ˈvistaless, adjective

Other Words From

• vista·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vista¹

First recorded in 1650–60; from Italian: “a view,” noun use of feminine of visto (past participle of vedere “to see,” from Latin vidēre )

Origin of vista²

V(olunteers) i(n) S(ervice) t(o) A(merica)

Word History and Origins

Origin of vista¹

C17: from Italian: a view, from vedere to see, from Latin vidēre

Synonym Study

See view.

Example Sentences

Expansive vistas of the Vatican’s opulence dominate our view.

From Salon

Most of the scenes feel far away from us, like vistas glimpsed through the dusty windows of a train.

From New York Times

Once the family settled in Pasadena, Alex and Eddie soon discovered the wonders of guitar-driven rock and roll — Cream, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath — and a new vista opened up to them.

From Los Angeles Times

They are sprawling lands of seemingly endless vistas and soaring plateaus.

From Los Angeles Times

Together they form one of the most jaw-dropping vistas you can reach by car in California.

From Los Angeles Times

More About Vista

What does vista mean?

A vista is a wide view of a scene, especially a sweeping outdoor scene such as a mountain valley or beach.

Traditionally, vista referred to a view seen through a long, narrow passage, such as between two rows of trees or buildings, but this meaning is now less commonly used.

Example: The description for this hotel room claims that we’ll have a vista of the mountain at sunrise from our balcony.

Where does vista come from?

The English vista emerged in the mid-1600s. It comes from the Italian vista, meaning “a view” or “a sight.” The Italian vista—as well as the same word in Spanish and Portuguese—derives from the Latin verb vidēre, which also means “to see” and is the root of view and vision.

Vista was once traditionally used to refer to a narrow view of something, such as the view down a mountain through rows of trees, or of a cityscape between skyscrapers. But today it is often used generally to describe any wide outdoor view that is considered beautiful (a view of a landfill would be unlikely to be called a vista). Vista most often refers to a view that is uninterrupted—meaning there are no big, tall things in the way to block the scene. For that reason, it often implies that the view is from a high place, such as a balcony or mountaintop. For example, thousands of people travel to the Grand Canyon each year just for a look at the vista of the canyon below. People love to look at vistas, so of course they also love to take photos of them and paint them. You’re likely to see the word in descriptions of landscape paintings and Instagram pictures taken from people’s hotel windows.

Vista is often combined with a word indicating the particular type of view in phrases like mountain vista and ocean vista. 

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to vista?

• vistaless (adjective)

What are some synonyms for vista?

• view
• outlook
• panorama
• prospect

What are some words that share a root or word element with vista? 

 

• view
• vision
• vistaed

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing vista?

• landscape
• scenery
• beautiful
• mountain
• ocean

How is vista used in real life?

Everyone loves a vista, and everyone loves to share their photos of beautiful vistas. The word is most often used to describe a big view of an ocean or mountain scene.

Here's another work-in-progress. I love painting Icelandic vistas in oil. #oilpainting #Iceland #landscapepainting #landscape #femaleartist pic.twitter.com/ujgitfffFY

— EMTfinearts (@EmTfinearts) February 17, 2020

A beautiful ocean vista off the California coast (taken during our Expedition Alpha cruise) Life onboard is lovely! pic.twitter.com/OHnRVeKHkk

— SeaBronies@home (@SeaBronies) January 10, 2016

This Sunday will be running through this beautiful vista at Khajuraho Half Marathon. pic.twitter.com/AdzHHJuTOs

— Sandeep Mall  (@SandeepMall) February 21, 2020

 

 

Try using vista!

Is vista used correctly in the following sentence?

The hike was difficult, but we were rewarded with a spectacular vista from the top.