Visa

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈviːzə/

Definitions

1. An official approval allowing someone to enter or remain in a country ; the charge required for obtaining this official permission ; to inspect or check documents for validity
2. A permit issued by a government to authorize entry or residence in a country ; a payment made to secure this permit ; the act of reviewing documents to confirm their authenticity
3. A legal authorization granted for travel or residency in another country ; the cost associated with obtaining this authorization ; to scrutinize paperwork to ensure its correctness

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "visa" is that it began as a sign of inspection rather than permission. Its Latin source, "charta vīsa," literally meant "paper that has been seen," the feminine perfect passive of "vidēre," "to see." A passport or document that had been looked over and endorsed carried that quiet record of having been seen, and the endorsement itself came to be called the visa. The word reached English in 1831, when it referred to an official signature or endorsement on a passport. It arrived through French, which had adopted the Latin form directly, so English took it from the French rather than from Latin itself. Its meaning has since widened to cover the permission to enter or stay, the fee charged for it, and the act of checking documents. Its relatives in English are all rooted in the same idea of seeing: "vision," "video," and "vista" share the Latin "vidēre." The word is a reminder that bureaucratic approval once rested on nothing more than someone having looked closely at a page.

Synonyms: permit, authorization

Antonyms: prohibition