| 释义 |
viewer|ˈvjuːə(r)|
Also 5 vywer, vyewer, 5–6 vewer, 6 vewar.
[f. view v. + -er.]
1. a. A person appointed to examine or inspect something, either on a special occasion or permanently; in later use esp. an inspector or examiner of goods supplied by contract; † spec. in Law, one appointed by a court to inspect a place, property, etc., and report upon it.
Formerly the designation of certain officials in the town of St. Albans: see A. E. Gibbs Corpor. Rec. St. Albans (1890) 11.
1415–6[see view n. 1]. 1447Scriptores Tres (Surtees) App. p. cccxiii, The said..Alexander [etc.]..sall werkman⁓like wirke the said myne..be the sight of certeyn vewers tharto assigned. 1479–81Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1905) 111 Item, payd to the vywers for to ouerse the howse þat dyghton dwellith in. Ibid., Payd for the vywers labour and attendaunce at diuerse tymez. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 103 For the capitaine of the horsemen was appointed sir Edward Gyldford, by whom the currers and vewers of the countrey were appointed. 1601J. Keymor Dutch Fishing (1664) 7 She [the herring-buss] imployeth..at Land..Viewers, Packers, Tellers, Dressers, Couchers to make the Herrings lawfull Merchandizes. 1651G. W. tr. Cowel's Inst. 252 The Judg commands the Sheriffe, That at a day assigned, he cause a view to be taken by such Viewers or Surveyers, as may certifie the Court [etc.]. 1700Tyrrell Hist. Eng. II. 819 Our Regarders or Viewers shall go through the Forests to make a View or Regard. 1708J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. (1710) 490 Viewer and Examiner of Tobacco [at the Port of London]. 1714in Hist. Northfield, Mass. (1875) 134 One-half of said fence to be accounted as Public Fence, and the whole to be under the viewers for the security of the Great Meadow. 1828Webster, Viewer,..in New England, a town officer whose duty is to inspect something; as, a viewer of fences, who inspects them to determine whether they are sufficient in law. 1834in Nicolay & Hay A. Lincoln I. 119 note, To appoint viewers to view and locate a road from Musick's ferry on Salt Creek. 1863Cornh. Mag. VII. 323 The very viewers who first examine the stores, and on the nature of whose report so much depends. 1886Pall Mall G. 6 Mar. 4/2 A large number of viewers, male and female, are kept, whose sole duty it is to see that everything is faultless and in good order.
transf.c1540J. Heywood Witty & Witless (Percy Soc.) 1 And that experyens may schowe the trewer, Accept we reson to be owr vewer. 1574Hellowes tr. Gueuara's Fam. Ep. (1577) 225 For if I will bee a Judge of your goodes, for the same you will be a viewer of my life.
b. An overseer, manager, or superintendent of a coal-mine or colliery.
1708J. C. Compleat Collier (1845) 31 And now I must leave you to your Viewer, or Head Under-over Man, who is to take charge of a regular working of the colliery. 1761Brit. Mag. II. 668 Mr. Curry, a viewer, and three others were burnt at Hartley Colliery, near Newcastle upon Tyne, by an explosion of foul air. 1797J. Curr Coal Viewer 8 The viewers or superintendents of collieries. 1813Ann. Reg., Chron. 49 Among the sufferers..[was] one of the Viewers. 1839Ure Dict. Arts 964 Coal viewers or engineers regard the dislocations now described as being subject in one respect to a general law. 1867W. W. Smythe Coal & Coal-mining 175 Many of the most experienced colliery viewers..hold to the opinion that they substitute one danger for another. 1883Gresley Gloss. Coal-M. 273.
2. a. One who views anything closely or attentively; one who looks at a thing with attention or interest.
1565Cooper Thesaurus, Speculator,..a beholder: a viewer. 1572J. Jones Bathes of Bath i. 8 b, The Phisicyon is a viewer and sercher out of Nature. 1579W. Fulke Confut. Sanders 692 You are such a narrowe vewer of such idle pictures. 1611Bible Isaiah xlvii. 13 The astrologers (marg. viewers of the heauens), the starre-gazers. 1729G. Adams tr. Sophocl., Oedip.-Colon. i. iii. II. 87 Be silent, for hither come some ancient Men as Viewers of your Seat. 1857Dickens Dorrit ii. xv, [The bride's outfit] was exhibited to select companies of female viewers. 1892Daily News 25 May 6/8 There will probably be amongst viewers of the collection more than one..who will covet [etc.].
b. One who watches television. Cf. televiewer. Also attrib.
1935Times 16 May 9/3 When television sets are as numerous as broadcast receivers it is possible that there may be a demand for some form of record..with which the viewer would be independent of wireless broadcasts. 1936Times 3 Nov. 9/1 At Alexandra Palace yesterday, when the new television service of the B.B.C. was officially opened, the Postmaster-General and others had to address themselves not only to listeners, but to ‘viewers’. Within a radius of some 25 miles, ‘viewers’ saw and heard a ceremony which the speakers rightly described as historic. Ibid., There was a speech by Mr. R. C. Norman, chairman of the B.B.C. who was the first to use the word ‘viewers’ in its new meaning. 1946Electronic Engin. XVIII. 276 The poor light at Wimbledon did not entirely account for television's failure to convey to viewers, comfortably seated at home, the breathless thrill [etc.]. 1955Britannica Bk. of Year 489/2 Viewer-Research (an investigation into the relative popularity of programmes shown). 1957Listener 5 Dec. 956/2 In football and boxing the viewer has an immense advantage over the spectator on the spot. 1961A. Wilson Old Men at Zoo iii. 125 The viewer response so far is jolly encouraging. 1966G. N. Leech Eng. in Advertising v. 50 The [television advertising] copy⁓writer..does not despise the triviality of real-life conversation. In fact by deviating from it he stands to lose credibility and viewer-involvement. 1971G. Charles Destiny Waltz i. 11 ‘You're probably familiar with some of our feature programmes if you watch a lot.’ ‘Yes, I'm a viewer all right,’ said Jimmy. ‘I've no false snobbery about TV.’ 1977Rep. Comm. Future of Broadcasting i. 3 The first decision we took was to ask individual viewers and listeners for their opinions. 1985Broadcast 11 Jan. 21/3 Failure to cover such events, it is felt, would reflect badly on broadcasters in the minds of viewers.
3. One who sees or looks at anything; a beholder, observer, spectator.
1576Fleming Panopl. Epist. 143 The Prouince where you are..hath..many viewers of a yong Gentleman right nobly disposed. 1593Queen Elizabeth Boeth. 56 Not thy nature but weaknes of vewars sight makes the seeme fayre. 1599Greene Alphonsus iv. ii. 16 A canapie was set..all beset with heads of conquered kings,..which..strooke a terror to the viewers harts. a1625Fletcher & Massinger Cust. Country iii. ii, Can it be possible this frame should suffer, And built on slight affections, fright the viewer? 1652Benlowes Theoph. iii. xxix, Her eyes amaze the Viewers, and inspire To hearts a warm yet chast desire. 1810Crabbe Borough xvii. 33 'Tis summer now; all objects gay and new; Smiling alike the viewer and the view. 1880L. Wallace Ben-Hur vii. v, The features..were ruled by a certain expression which, as the viewer chose, might [etc.]. 1885Meredith Diana xxvi, Teaching gloom to rouse a songful nest in the bosom of the viewer.
4. An optical device for looking at film transparencies or the like.
1936[see microfilm viewer s.v. microfilm n. 2]. 1940A. L. M. Sowerby Wall's Dict. Photogr. (ed. 15) 19 The principle involved is exactly that of the ‘viewers’ now sold for looking at prints or small transparencies. 1958Woman's Own 8 Oct. 58/3 The X-ray on the viewer. 1972Sci. Amer. Jan. 65/1 When viewed through a stereoscopic viewer, the resulting image is truly three-dimensional. 1972M. J. Bosse Incident at Naha ii. 67, I wondered what Virgil would learn from the microfilm. He had taken it to the university library where he could use the viewers.
Hence ˈviewership, the viewers of a television programme collectively; the number of such viewers.
1954Sun (Baltimore) 30 Apr. 16/3 The extent of viewer⁓ship of the subcommittee hearings was far from excessive. 1957Economist 24 Aug. 637/2 More reliable estimates of ‘viewership’. 1964D. Susskind Let. 26 Mar. in G. Marx Groucho Lett. (1967) 223 Please keep watching ‘Open End’... We need viewership very urgently. 1979Arizona Daily Star 1 Apr. (Tucson T.V. Suppl.) 12/3 CBS..restored ‘The White Shadow’ to its former Monday night time period, where it once again is drawing a big viewership. |