expanse

expanse: expanse, amplitude, spread, stretch are comparable when they denote an area or range of considerable or conspicuous extent.

Expanse is applied chiefly to vast areas open to view and usually uniform in character

{
pure as the expanse of Heaven— Milton
}

{
thy mariners explore the wide expanse— Cowper
}

{
great expanse of country spread around and below— D. H. Lawrence
}

Amplitude implies in general use an ampleness in what it describes and suggests relative largeness (as in size or range)

{
with a face dark and proud as a Borgia's, though not cruel; with a figure of noble amplitude— Donn Byrne
}

{
the amplitude of his vision found supreme expression in a style that is meticulous, colorful, and luminous— Milletty
}

or greatness (as in character or quality)

{
he displayed a Miltonic amplitude of ambition and style— Bush
}

{
a red-curtained English inn . . . stood sideways in the road, as if standing aside in the amplitude of hospitality— Chesterton
}

but in technical contexts in which the word is specifically applied to the range of a variable (as wavelength or a statistical array) the notion of ampleness has given way to that of magnitude, and amplitude means no more than size or extent

{
the size or extent of the swing is known as the amplitude of the pendulum— Taffel
}

{
the maximum distance the curve rises above or falls below the horizontal axis ... is known as its amplitude— F. E. Seymour & P. J. Smith
}

Spread is applied to an expanse drawn out in all directions

{
the water ... a ripply spread of sun and sea— Browning
}

{
a trackless spread of moor— Blackmore
}

{
under the immense spread of the starry heavens— Stevenson
}

Stretch is applied to an expanse in one of its two dimensions

{
the beach was a narrow stretch of sand
}

{
a stretch of farmland extending as far as the distant mountains
}

{
the great stretches of fields that lay beside the road— Anderson
}

Analogous words: *range, reach, scope, compass, sweep, orbit: domain, territory, sphere, *field

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Synonyms:

Extent, expansion, stretch, expanded surface / Firmament, sky, welkin, vault, canopy, arch of heaven, arch of the sky

Look at other dictionaries:

expansé — expansé, ée [ ɛkspɑ̃se ] adj. • 1964; de expansion;cf. lat. expansus « déployé » ♦ Techn. Qui a subi une expansion (1o). Isoler des murs avec du polystyrène expansé. ● expansé, expansée adjectif Se dit de certaines matières plastiques possédant… … Encyclopédie Universelle
Expanse — Ex*panse , n. [From L. expansus, p. p. of expandere. See {Expand}.] That which is expanded or spread out; a wide extent of space or body; especially, the arch of the sky. The green expanse. Savage. [1913 Webster] Lights . . . high in the expanse… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Expanse — Ex*panse , v. t. To expand. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] That lies expansed unto the eyes of all. Sir. T. Browne. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
expanse — index area (province), area (surface), caliber (measurement), coverage (scope), degree ( … Law dictionary
expanse — 1660s, from L. expansum, noun use of neut. of expansus, pp. of expandere (see EXPAND (Cf. expand)) … Etymology dictionary
expanse — [n] large space, usually open amplitude, area, belt, breadth, compass, distance, domain, extension, extent, field, immensity, latitude, length, margin, orbit, plain, radius, range, reach, region, remoteness, room, scope, span, sphere, spread,… … New thesaurus
expanse — ► NOUN 1) a wide continuous area of something, typically land or sea. 2) the distance to which something expands or can be expanded … English terms dictionary
expanse — [ek spans′, ikspans′] n. [ME expans < L expansum, neut. pp. of expandere: see EXPAND] 1. a large, open area or unbroken surface; wide extent; great breadth 2. expansion … English World dictionary
expanse — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ broad, endless, great, huge, infinite, large, limitless, long, vast, wide ▪ … Collocations dictionary
expanse — ex|panse [ıkˈspæns] n a very large area of water, sky, land etc expanse of ▪ an expanse of blue sky vast/wide/large etc expanse ▪ the vast expanse of the ocean … Dictionary of contemporary English

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