vista

Everyday

1. A vista is a beautiful, wide view, especially a long one seen between hills, trees or buildings. tree →
2. (formal) A vista can also mean a range of future possibilities: «Reading opens new vistas.» tree →

In the lessons

In stories and descriptive writing, vistas describe landscapes from hilltops and mountains. In geography and travel, «sweeping vistas» of valleys and coasts. In formal speech, «opening up new vistas» means giving new chances. Phrases: «a stunning vista», «sweeping vistas», «open up new vistas».

Examples

• From the top of the hill we saw a wonderful vista of fields and rivers. tree →
• The train passed through sweeping mountain vistas. tree →
• The window framed a vista of the sea. tree →
• Learning to read opened up whole new vistas for Gran. tree →
• The photographer captured the vista at sunset. tree →
• The path ended at a vista over the lake. tree →
• Halting at the entrance, they gazed through a long vista of lofty pillars, that were ranged from end to end of a great hall. tree →

Note

Countable: vista, vistas. It comes from Italian and Spanish, meaning «view». Rather literary; in everyday speech, «view» is more common.