From the Arabic root ن-ظ-ر (n-ẓ-r), carrying the core sense of "sight, observation, and consideration." This root gives rise to a rich family: نَظَرِيَّة (naẓariyya, "theory" — lit. a thing arrived at by looking), مَنْظَر (manẓar, "view/scenery"), نَاظِر (nāẓir, "observer"), and even the loanword into Hebrew (נָצַר, nāṣar). The root's semantic arc spans the physical act of looking all the way up to abstract intellectual inspection.

In Classical Arabic and the Quran, نَظَرَ often carries a deeper sense of "contemplation" or "reflection," not merely a glance. The phrase وَجْهَةُ نَظَر (wajhat naẓar) — "point of view" — is one of the most common expressions in modern Arabic discourse, making this root indispensable at every level. Be careful not to confuse نَظَرَ (to look) with شَاهَدَ (to watch, e.g. a film) or رَأَى (to see/perceive) — Arabic distinguishes these acts of vision precisely.