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n. 1. a. A way in which something can be viewed by the mind: looked at all aspects of the situation. b. A characteristic or feature of something: a novel with many unusual aspects. 2. A particular look or facial expression; mien: "He was serious of aspect but wholly undistinguished" (Louis Auchincloss). 3. Appearance to the eye, especially from a specific vantage point: "many small unsightly hillocks ... that had the aspect of graves" (Edgar Allan Poe). 4. A position facing or commanding a given direction; exposure: a building with a southern aspect. 5. A side or surface facing in a particular direction: the ventral aspect of the body. 6. a. The configuration of the stars, constellations, or planets in relation to one another. b. This configuration, thought by astrologers to influence human affairs. 7. Grammar a. A property of verbs in which the action or state is related to the passage of time, especially in reference to completion, duration, or repetition. b. A set or category of verb forms indicating such a relation. 8. Archaic An act of looking or gazing. [Middle English, from Latin aspectus, a view, from past participle of aspicere, to look at : ad-, ad- + specere, to look; see spek- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] as·pectu·al (ă-spĕkch-əl) adj. |
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