Etymology

visa

V4I1S1A1

Today it means: A permit to enter and leave a country, normally issued by the authorities of the country to be visited. Full definition →

French visa ← Latin charta vīsa
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visa · noun, verb1

  1. Latin · derived fromvidēre“to see”
  2. Latin · derived fromcharta vīsa“paper that has been seen”
  3. French · derived fromvisa
  4. English todayvisa

From 1831, "official signature or endorsement on a passport," from French visa, from Latin charta vīsa (“paper that has been seen”) from feminine perfect passive of Latin vidēre (“to see”). Compare vision, video, vista.

Visa · proper noun, noun2

Coined by the company's founder, Dee Hock, who believed that the word was instantly recognizable in many languages and that it denoted universal acceptance.

Words from the same roots

Latinvidēre all →

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Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.