aspect

The story

1. Latin · derived fromaspectus“look, sight; appearance”
2. Middle English · inherited fromaspect
3. English todayaspect

From Middle English aspect, from Latin aspectus (“look, sight; appearance”), from aspiciō (“see; catch sight of; inspect”), from ad- (“to, towards, at”) + speciō (“look, look at, behold; observe”).

First known use, by meaning

• from 16th c. One's appearance or expression.
• from 19th c. A grammatical quality of a verb which determines the relationship of the speaker to the internal temporal flow of the event which the verb describes, or whether the speaker views the event from outside as a whole, or from within as it is unfolding.
• from 14th c. The relative position of heavenly bodies as they appear to an observer on earth; the angular relationship between points in a horoscope.
• 14th–19th c. The act of looking at something; gaze.