Etymologically
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visiter

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /vi.zi.te/[1]

Forms

visiter[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin vīsitō (“to see often; to go to see; to inspect”), in Church Latin also “to try, afflict”, the frequentative of vīsō (“to go and see”), from videō (“to see”).[2][3][4] An inherited form visder (about 1120) is found in religious texts, but did not survive.[2][5][1] Cognate with Old Occitan visitar, Spanish visitar and Italian visitare.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Léger (late 10th century) uses it of God coming to the help of his servant Léger; the Cambridge Psalter has Quel chose est uem … kar tu visitas lui?, “What is man, that thou visitest him?”[6][2]

Semantic evolution

From 1131 (Couronnement de Louis) it took the classical sense of going to see someone out of duty or courtesy, and, from 1160 going to see someone at home; this is now literary in France but common in Belgium, the Middle East and Africa (il m'a visité hier).[2][6] It was used for visiting the sick and poor out of charity (1553), and of a doctor (La Fontaine, 1668).[2][7] Since the 13th century (Guillaume de Lorris, about 1240) it has meant going to see places, churches and monuments, the main modern sense.[7][2][8] Inspecting goods, premises and the like is in the 14th century, and wine growers visitent their wine to watch its development (1728).[7][9]

Timeline

  • Late 10th century – Of God, in the Vie de saint Léger.[6]
  • 1131 – Going to see someone, in the Couronnement de Louis.[6][7]
  • c. 1240 – Going to see a place, in Guillaume de Lorris.[7]
  • 14th century – “To inspect”.[7]
  • 1553 – Visiting the sick and poor.[2]
  • 1728 – Checking wine.[9]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To visit a place, go round it to see its sights.[10][8]
  2. To inspect: visiter les arsenaux.[4][8]
  3. To go to see the sick, the poor or prisoners to comfort them; of a doctor, to see a patient at home.[8][11]
  4. (dated in France, Belgium, Africa, Canada) To pay a visit to someone.[8][2]
  5. (religion) Of God, to act on, show himself to someone.[8][11]

Word family

  • visitable
  • revisiter
  • visite
  • visiteur

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  7. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)