rear viewn.
/ˌrɪə ˈvjuː/, U.S. /ˈˌrɪ(ə)r ˈˌvju/ Originally North American.
1. A view of the back of something; a view from behind.
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1824 N.-Y. Mirror, & Ladies' Lit. Gaz. 6 Mar. 255/2 The beauty of its appearance, from a rear view, and the singularity of its construction, have excited the admiration of every one who has seen it.
1846 H. Melville Typee II. xviii. 174 This piece of tattooing was the best specimen of the Fine Arts I had yet seen in Typee. A rear view of the stranger might have suggested the idea of a spreading vine tacked against a garden wall.
1880 Harper's Mag. Jan. 194/2 In the pale, glimmering light the rear view of a pretentious brick and adobe building brought faint suggestions of Syria to their minds.
1903 A. Adams Log of Cowboy xii. 184 We quit the herd and wagon right there and rode for a swell of ground ahead that would give us a rear view of the scenery.
1937 Life 26 July 84/2 (caption) Rear view of boardwalk and cottages presents a ramshackle appearance.
1967 N. Mailer Why are we in Vietnam? vi. 94 Why is the rear view of a thousand head of caribou passing on the tundra like a thousand pops of cotton on the boll?
1996 Southern Cross 28 Feb. 4/3 The rear view of many can be a pretty awful sight.
2.
a. A view to the rear. Chiefly attributive, esp. in rearview mirror: a mirror inside a motor vehicle, typically mounted in the top centre of the windscreen, enabling the driver to see what is behind.
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the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > place where view obtained > [adjective]
prospective1584
specular1671
speculative1709
gazy1745
speculatory1781
scenic1784
sightly1828
panoramic1855
rear view1911
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > optical instruments > mirror > [noun] > mirrors in vehicle
rearview mirror1911
rear mirror1919
vanity mirror1959
rear view1974
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > rear-view mirror
driving mirror1907
rear view1911
wing mirror1925
1852 L. W. Mansfield Up-country Lett. 292 Bob bethought himself of tying the chair fast..by turning it back foremost, and lashing it to the great double-chair that was next to it, back to back. In this way Kate had only a rear view of things, but she travelled safe.
1911 Los Angeles Times 26 Feb. vii. 4 (advt.) Auto supplies... Rear View Mirrors.
1959 H. Nielsen Fifth Caller xiii. 195 His face had been in the rearview mirror.
1989 Motor Trend Mar. 116/3 The LCD for the rearview camera is both too small and too dark, and is nearly useless except in perfect lighting.
2007 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 24 Nov. (Motoring section) 5 Automatic Xenon headlamps, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, rain-sensing wipers and solar-reflect screen.
b. Originally U.S. A rearview mirror. Also figurative.
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the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > optical instruments > mirror > [noun] > mirrors in vehicle
rearview mirror1911
rear mirror1919
vanity mirror1959
rear view1974
1974 Vallejo (Calif.) Times Herald 5 May 25/1 Several types of ‘wide’ and ‘super wide’ rearviews have been used in the past.
1987 G. Keeler Amer. Falls 49 In the rearview dust rose for a mile.
2004 Newsday (N.Y.) (Nexis) 9 Oct. a37 That appears to be history now, if A-Rod can continue putting the past deep in his rearview.
2005 Z. Smith On Beauty 25 ‘Always flying,’ said Pierre rather wistfully, and laughed, looking at Howard via the rear view.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1824