The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Purview \Pur"view\, n. [OF. purveu, pourveu, F. pourvu,
   provided, p. p. of OF. porveoir, F. pourvoir. See Purvey,
   View, and cf. Proviso.]
   1.
      (a) (Law) The body of a statute, or that part which begins
          with " Be it enacted, " as distinguished from the
          preamble. --Cowell.
      (b) Hence: The limit or scope of a statute; the whole
          extent of its intention or provisions. --Marshall.
          [1913 Webster]

                Profanations within the purview of several
                statutes.                         --Bacon.
          [1913 Webster]

   2. Limit or sphere of authority; scope; extent.
      [1913 Webster]

            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.                       --Madison.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

purview
    n 1: the range of interest or activity that can be anticipated;
         "It is beyond the horizon of present knowledge" [syn:
         horizon, view, purview]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

94 Moby Thesaurus words for "purview":
   agency, agentship, ambit, assignment, authority, authorization,
   brevet, care, charge, clear sight, color vision, commission,
   commissioning, commitment, compass, cone vision, consignment, cure,
   day vision, daylight vision, delegated authority, delegation,
   deputation, devolution, devolvement, discernment, embassy,
   empowerment, entrusting, entrustment, errand, executorship,
   exequatur, extension, extent, eye, eye-mindedness, eyesight,
   factorship, farsight, farsightedness, field of view,
   field of vision, full power, horizon, jurisdiction, keen sight,
   ken, legation, license, lieutenancy, mandate, mission,
   night vision, office, orbit, perception, peripheral field,
   peripheral vision, perspicacity, perspicuity, photopia,
   plenipotentiary power, power of attorney, power of sight,
   power to act, procuration, proxy, quick sight, radius, range,
   reach, regency, regentship, responsibility, rod vision, scope,
   scotopia, seeing, sense of sight, sight, sightedness, sweep, task,
   trust, trusteeship, twilight vision, unobstructed vision,
   vicarious authority, vision, visual acuity, visual field,
   visual sense, warrant