Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PUR'VIEW, n. [Norm. and Fr. pourveu, purvieu, purvey; Fr. pourvu, provided, from pourvoir. See Purvey.]

1. Primarily, a condition or proviso; but in this sense not used.
2. The body of a statute, or that part which begins with “Be it enacted,” as distinguished from the preamble. – Cowel. Encyc.
3. In modern usage, the limit or scope of a statute; the whole extent of its intention or provisions. – Marshall.
4. Superintendence. The federal power … is confined to objects of a general nature, more within the purview of the United States, than of any particular one. [Unusual.] – Ramsay.
5. Limit or sphere intended; scope; extent. In determining the extent of information required in the exercise of a particular authority, recourse must be had to the objects within the purview of that authority. – Federalist, Madison.