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Word describing a thing that faces all directions, or can be viewed from all directions

English Language & Usage Asked on May 8, 2021

I’m looking for a word that describes an instance of a class of objects typically viewed from one angle (i.e. the front) but in this case is viewable or is interesting from all angles. For example, many sculptures may have a "dominant" or intended "front," but perhaps a sculpture like this one…

enter image description here

…might be intended to be viewed from all directions. This sculpture might be called a _______ sculpture.

3 Answers

The classic word is an Omnidirectional view but the current vernacular is multiviewed.

Sad that some are not familiar with this one.

Statues in India of God show it as two (male and female) coming into one. so the difference is superseded. Not part of the question but part of the answer just the same.

Your additional comment got me looking for Circum-xyz. It is not (yet) vernacular but one Latin term would be Circum-visibilis . Let's hope a Latin teacher can help with the conjugation.

Answered by Elliot on May 8, 2021

While this word might be bit of a stretch in the given context, its meaning could be exploited metaphorically for such a description as well—

kaleidoscopic

continually shifting or rapidly changing

[Vocabulary.com]

You might therefore put it like this:

Unlike most statues that restrict the viewer's field of vision, this one is kaleidoscopic— you could view it from multiple angles and it seems to create a different impression with each view: it's like a hologram in bronze.

Answered by user405662 on May 8, 2021

The word circumvisual has been used to describe this circumstance:

“Circumvisual PhotoDroid". Her nine eyes represents the nine cameras used in filming the show in the round, thus showing the view from them on each of the nine movie screens. Guests then can watch her training videos, which include a plunge over Niagara Falls, a flight into a barn full of dynamite in Topeka, Kansas, a swirling ride aboard a centrifugator, and hitching a ride on a space shuttle.”

Fandom

Although the meaning is clear and the need for the word is convincing, it does not seem to have caught on. Google ngram does not find it.

Answered by Anton on May 8, 2021

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