LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
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“sight” in Latin

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

sight
Power of seeing, visus: sensus videndi, cernendi: sensus oculorum. A short sight, oculi non longe conspectum ferentes: a good sight, oculi acres et acuti (which see clearly); acies incolumis: inoffensum oculorum lumen (as good as ever it was): a bad sight, oculi hebetiores; obtusior or hebes oculorum acies: to lose one’s sight, aspectum, or oculos, or oculorum lumina amittere; oculos perdere; oculis capi: to recover one’s sight, oculi alicui restituuntur: anybody’s sight is growing bad, visus or oculorum acies hebescit [Vid: EYE].
As a sensation, conspectus (also, the sphere of our view). To get sight of anything, aliquid conspicere; cadit or datur mihi aliquid in conspectum: to lose sight of land (of ships), e conspectu terrae auferri: to vanish out of anybody’s sight, abire ex oculis alicujus; recedere e alicujus conspectu (by removal to a distance): to shun or avoid the sight of anybody, alicujus oculos or aspectum vitare; fugere alicujus conspectum; alicujus aspectu se subtrahere († withdraw from, not choose to be near): get out of my sight, age illuc, abscede procul e conspectu meo (comedy): to fly from anybody’s sight, evolare e conspectu quasi fugientem (of a fast-sailing ship): to come in sight, sub oculos cadere; in oculos cadere, incurrere; sub aspectum cadere or venire; aspectu sentiri; in aciem prodire: beautiful to the sight, pulcher or venustus ad aspectum (Cic.): as fur as our sight reaches, quo longissime oculi conspectum ferunt (Liv.): to be in sight, in conspectu esse: to be within sight of the town, esse in oppidi conspectu (Cic.).
Act of seeing, or state of being seen, aspectus (actively, the act of seeing): conspectus (passively, the state of being seen; hence, also, appearance, and the sphere of our vision): obtutus (in a neuter sense, “the look”). OBS. intuitus is late. To know anybody by sight, aliquem de facie nosse: not to know anybody by sight, ignorare aliquem (Nep., Arist. 1, 4): the frequent sight of anything, consuetudo oculorum: at first sight, primo aspectu; prima specie: anything wins our affection at first sight, aliquid statim conspectum voluntatem conciliat amoremque adjungit (Muret.): to decide a question or form an opinion on any subject at first sight, uno adspectu et quasi praeteriens judicare de re (Cic.); ex prima statim fronte judicare (Quint.): at sight (in “payable at sight”), perhaps *die praesenti; die oculata (Plaut., Pseud., 1, 3, 67; is “with pay-day definitely before one’s eyes,” “for ready money;” opposed to die caeca); cognitis his litteris (on reading this instruction or mercantile advice); *cognita hac syngrapha.
A thing seen, species (appearance): aspectus, -ūs (how anything looks): spectaculum (an exhibition, also a theatrical spectacle): objectus, -ūs (Nep.; coming upon us suddenly). A pleasant sight, aspectus jucundus: spectaculum gratum: to present a melancholy sight, triste spectaculum praebere alicui: tristem esse aspectu: to bear the sight of pain, terror, etc., speciem doloris, terroris, ferre or sustinere: it was a pleasant sight to the populace, gratum id spectaculum multitudini fuit (Liv.): a very interesting sight, conspectus jucundissimus (Cic.): a magnificent sight, spectaculum magnificum (Curt.): a sad or piteous sight, miserabilis facies (Curt.); miserabilis (rei) aspectus (Cic.): a sudden or unexpected sight, repentinus objectus (Nep.): to present a hideous sight, deformem turpemque aspectum habere: to see a sad sight, luctuosum spectaculum videre (Cic.): what sadder sight have we ever seen? quid miserius, quid acerbius vidimus? there is no sight more beautiful than that of a well-cultivated field, agro bene culto nihil potest esse specie ornatius (Cic.): what a sight! quale spectaculum! quae facies! o spectaculum magnificum! o speciem miseram tristemque! at this unexpected sight, quo repentino objectu viso (Nep., Hann., 5, 2).
In a trigonometrical instrument, *dioptra (δίοπτρα).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for sight?
The usual Latin words for “sight” are videō, cernō, cōnspectus; also aspiciō, obtūtus, speciēs. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.