panoptic

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The Word of the Day for February 28 is:

panoptic   \pan-OP-tik\   adjective 
     : being or presenting a comprehensive or panoramic view 

Example sentence:
     When tourists reach the top of New York City's Empire State building,
they are dazzled by the panoptic view of the Big Apple.

Did you know?
     The establishment of "panoptic" in the English language can be
attributed to two inventions known as panopticons. The more well-known
panopticon was conceived by the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham in
1787. Bentham's panopticon was a circular prison with cells arranged
around a central tower from which guards could see the inmates at all
times. The other panopticon, also created in the 18th century, was a
device containing pictures of attractions, such as European capitals, that
people viewed through an opening. Considering the views that both
inventions gave, it is not hard to see why "panoptic" (a word derived from
Greek "panoptes," meaning "all-seeing") was being used by the early 19th
century.






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