Here - Norm's Book Club

VISTA.
throngfa a large building ; an interior portion of a
building affording a continuous view.
a. 1708 Lonef. Gas. No. 4414/3 Newington House built
with Stone after the Italian manner, with a Visto through,
..to be let. c 1710 Celia Fiennes Diary (1888) 112 An
abundance of good sizcxble roomcs leading one out of
another in Vislo's through the house, something Like our
new way of building. 1733 VV. Stukeley Metti. (Suriees)
II. 36 Ihey have opened a visto from the lodg through the
gallery, to the library.
fi. 17*6 Swift Gniih'cr iv. ii, Beyond this Room there
were three others, reaching the length of the House.to which
you passed through three Doors, opposite to each other, in
the manner of a VisU. 1806 A. Duncan Nelson's Fimeral
37 The central aisle.. forming in itself the grandest architectural
vista in Europe. 1858 Hawthorne Fr, It.
»J-
NoU-bks. (1871) 1. 15 The whole {sc, galleries of the Louvre]
extended into infinite vistas by mirrors that.. multiplied
everything for ever. 1876 Miss Braddon /. Haggard's
Dau, II. 15 The door at the end of the narrow little passage
stood open, and the westward -fronting casement was
shining like a Jewel at the end of the vista.
f e. An opening or passage-way. Obsr"^
1737 A. Hamilton Nctv Acc. E. Ind. I. xiii. 155 To search
well, that there should be no subterraneous Communication.,
[but] finding no Visto that might be suspected, they
ordered the Jougies to remove their great Water Jar.
3. fig. A mental view or vision of a far-reaching
nature.
1673 Lady*s Call. \\. iii. § 8 It must infinitly more do so..
if they please to open a visto into the other world. 1704
NoRRis Ideal World 11. Pref. ^, I pretend only to make a
kind of visto into the intelligible world. 1848 R. J. Wil-
BERFORCE Doctr. Incarnation iii. (1852) 28 Those occasional
intimations which open vistas into the mighty
depths of God's counsels. 1876 Moze.ky Uftiv, Sertn. viii.
178 The human heart takes in all the great vistas and
reaches of human reason. 1887 Pull Mall G. 29 Dec. 6/1
The use of reading is to lighten the load of life, and to
open vistas of thought which otherwise would be closed
to us.
attrib. 1809 Malkin Gil Bias v. i. ^17 Catching every
now and then a vista vision often thousand ducats.
b. A view or vision, in prospect or retrospect,
of an extensive period of time or series of events,
experiences, etc.
174a Young Nt, Tk, vi. 117 Through the long vkto of a
thousand years, To stand contemplatinj^ our distant selves.
1780 BuRKEffictfw. Reform Wks. 1906 II. 307 They mi^ht
see a long, dull, unvaried visto of despair and exclusion,
for half a century, before them. 1834 Marrvat P, Siniple
i, A sort of vision of future grandeur passed before
me, in the distant vista of which I perceived a coach with
four horses and a service of plate. 1839 Murchison Silur,
Srst, I. Introd. 12 As yet we can gaze but dimly into the
obscure vista of these early periods, 1861 M. Pattison
Ess. (1889) I. 3Q Dr. Pauli . . to whose strong historical
vision a vista of a few centuries is nothing. 1888 Brycb
Anter. Comm-w. Ixxx. III. 50 They see a long vista of
years stretching out before them in which they will have
time enough to cure all their faults.
4. In vistay in continuous view.
1758 J. Kessedv Curios. Wilton House (1786) p. xxxvii,
The Rooms He in Visto as a great Gallery, 1815 W. H.
Ireuvnd Scribbleomania Pref. p. viii, Like a monotonous
and undeviatiiig route to the traveller, who.. beholds the
object constantly in vista. 1887 Kuskin Prxteriia II.
3^9 The level road with its aisles of poplars in perspective
vista.
Hence Vi'stal a., of the nature of a vista.
Vi'staless^., devoid of any vista or prospect.
186a Mavne Reid Wild Huntress i, The squatter's clearing.,
is a mere vistal opening in the woods. 1890 Lippincoifs
Mag. Feb. 242 Was Bombin's life more aimless quite
Than the vistaless one of the Sybarite?
Vi'Sta, z'. rare"^. [f. the sb.]
1. trans. To make into vistas.
x83» LvTTON Eugene A, xxxiii. The night had now closed
in, and its darkness was only relieved by the wan lamps
that vistaed the streets.
2. In pa. pple. Seen in vistas.
1848 LvTTON K. Arthur vii, xxviii, And all the galleries
vista'd through the wave.
Vistaed (vi-stad), «. [f. Vista sb^
1. Placed or arranged so as to make a vista or
avenue.
183S LvTTON Riemi v. iii, They . .extending far down the
vistaed streets.. awaited the ordersof their leader. x86a—
Str. Story V, I did not pass through the lane.. but up the
broad causeway, with vistaed gas-lamps. i88a J. HawpiORNE
Fort. Fool X7ix\\\\^ She moved slowly and saunteringly
along the vistaed aisle.
2. Provided with vistas.
1863 Calverley Verses ^ TransL^ Dover to Munich 105
Lawn