Etymograph

English

visit

Visit comes from Latin vīsitō ‘to see’, from vīsō ‘behold, survey’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-‘to see’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*widéh₁yetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*widēō‘to see’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideō‘see’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvīsō‘behold’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvīsitō‘to see’frequentative of vīsō
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400visiter
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500visiten
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1611visit

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-‘to see’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*widéh₁yetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*widēō‘to see’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideō‘see’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvīsō‘behold’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvīsitō‘to see’frequentative of vīsō
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400visiter
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500visiten
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1611visit

Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “[God] hath visited and redeemed his people.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’

story, guy, idea, guide, advice, witness, historic, wise, wisdom, idol, wizard, historian, wit, advise, steroid, witty, tabloid, guise, revue, druid, envious, improvise, hypothyroidism, envision, idyll, twit, parathyroid, trapezoid, hyoid, hyperthyroidism, colloid, witter, weet, thyroxine, sigmoid, thyroiditis, 93 more

through Proto-Indo-European *widéh₁yeti

providential, 12 more

through Proto-Italic *widēō ‘to see’

providence, provision, revision, prudential, jurisprudence, provident, vada, invisibility, evidential, 14 more

through Latin videō ‘see’

video, evidence, provide, review, interview, vision, evident, invisible, visa, prudent, vista, prudence, visibility, voyeur, purview, vide, purveyor, proviso, invidious, 18 more

through Latin vīsō ‘behold, survey’

revise, avis, 4 more

Today it means

verb To habitually go to (someone in distress, sickness etc.) to comfort them. (Now generally merged into later senses, below.)

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyd- / visit

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