Visitation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌvɪzɪˈteɪʃən/

Definitions

1. The act of officially or formally visiting a place or person, especially for inspection, comfort, or religious purposes
2. The occurrence of formally visiting a location or individual for inspection, guidance, or a spiritual encounter
3. The process of officially or ceremonially going to see someone or something, often for evaluation or support

Etymology: "Visitation" carries a religious shadow that its everyday sense hides. Its ancestor is Latin "vīsitātiō", a noun built from "vīsitāre", meaning to go to see or visit often, and that root reached English by way of Anglo-Norman "visitacioun" and Old French "visitacion". Over the centuries the Church made the word its own: in Christian usage it came to name a divine coming to judge or save, and the Feast of the Visitation commemorates the meeting of the Virgin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth. The word also carried a darker meaning, as a sudden punishment or affliction sent by God, and the phrase "a visitation of plague" still echoes that sense. The everyday meaning of an official inspection or friendly call grew out of these older senses of a visit that brings consequences, whether blessing or judgment.

Synonyms: visit, appearance, call, meeting, sojourn

Antonyms: absence, departure, disappearance, exit, evacuation