The roots of -ship are etymologically akin to Old English sceppan or scyppan, meaning to shape. The suffix -scape is equivalent to the more common English suffix -ship. Land (a word from Germanic origin) may be taken in its sense of something to which people belong (as in England being the land of the English). The term landscape emerged around the turn of the sixteenth century to denote a painting whose primary subject matter was natural scenery. The word landscape ( landscipe or landscaef) arrived in England-and therefore into the English language-after the fifth century, following the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons these terms referred to a system of human-made spaces on the land. When people deliberately improve the aesthetic appearance of a piece of land-by changing contours and vegetation, etc.-it is said to have been landscaped, though the result may not constitute a landscape according to some definitions. In common usage however, a landscape refers either to all the visible features of an area of land (usually rural), often considered in terms of aesthetic appeal, or to a pictorial representation of an area of countryside, specifically within the genre of landscape painting. There are several definitions of what constitutes a landscape, depending on context. The activity of modifying the visible features of an area of land is referred to as landscaping.ĭefinition and etymology Autumn landscape in Rybiniszki, Latvia, watercolor by Stanisław Masłowski, 1902 ( National Museum in Warsaw, Poland) A typical Dutch landscape in South Holland The Earth has a vast range of landscapes including the icy landscapes of polar regions, mountainous landscapes, vast arid desert landscapes, islands, and coastal landscapes, densely forested or wooded landscapes including past boreal forests and tropical rainforests and agricultural landscapes of temperate and tropical regions. Landscape can be as varied as farmland, a landscape park or wilderness.

It is the dynamic backdrop to people's lives. The character of a landscape helps define the self-image of the people who inhabit it and a sense of place that differentiates one region from other regions. Combining both their physical origins and the cultural overlay of human presence, often created over millennia, landscapes reflect a living synthesis of people and place that is vital to local and national identity. A landscape includes the physical elements of geophysically defined landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of land use, buildings, and structures, and transitory elements such as lighting and weather conditions. We stopped on the mountain pass to admire the scenery.Large fields of modern farmland, Dorset, EnglandĪ landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.Scenery the natural features of an area, such as mountains, valleys, rivers and forests, especially when these are attractive to look at: Many younger people are leaving the land to find work in the cities.land (usually the land) the countryside the way people live in the country as opposed to in towns and cities: Terrain is used when you are describing the natural features of an area, for example if it is rough, flat, etc: The truck bumped its way over the rough terrain. Countryside is usually used when you are talking about the beauty or peacefulness of a country area: a little village in the French countryside.

This pattern of woods and fields is typical of the English landscape.Ĭountryside land outside towns and cities, with fields, woods and farms.

Landscape everything that you can see when you look across a large area of land, especially in the country: country (often the country) an area that is away from towns and cities, especially one with particular natural features: Synonyms country country landscape ▪ countryside ▪ terrain ▪ land ▪ scenery These are all words for areas away from towns and cities, with fields, woods and farms.

Empty landscape synonym