: a structure (such as a cupola or a summerhouse) designed to command a view
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The Beautiful Origin of Belvedere
It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder—and someone with a belvedere will likely have a great deal of beauty to behold. Given the origins of the word, belvedere is the ideal term for a building (or part of a building) with a view; it derives from two Italian words, bel, which means "beautiful," and vedere, which means "view." The term has been used in English since the 1570s.
a Greek revival belvedere stands majestically on a grassy knoll overlooking the river
Recent Examples on the WebDespite its sprawling size and hefty mass, the library and events center features a vaulted framework that elegantly inserts itself into its location, on a belvedere overlooking a lake. Spencer Bailey, Town & Country, 21 Jan. 2022 The Belvedere in Vienna, which is a giant palace, is considered a belvedere (hence its name). Sienna Fantozzi, House Beautiful, 19 Nov. 2018 Pavilions—also known as summerhouses, gazebos or belvederes—are architects’ more free-spirited counterpoints to a house. Karen Bruno, WSJ, 1 Aug. 2018 The famed Terrace of Infinity belvedere is set, like an infinity pool, above a magnificent vista of hills and bays vanishing into the mist in the distance, and the sky melts into the low horizon line and the equally blue seas. Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2018