belvedere

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 16, 2008 is: belvedere • \BEL-vuh-deer\ • noun : a structure (as a cupola or a summerhouse) designed to command a view Examples: On summer evenings, guests at the estate often joined their hosts in the belvedere to watch the sunset. Did you know? It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder -- and someone with a belvedere will likely have a great deal of beauty to behold. Given the origins of the word, "belvedere" is the ideal term for a building (or part of a building) with a view; it derives from two Italian words, "bel," which means "beautiful," and "vedere," which means "view." The term has been used in English since at least 1593. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.