Visualise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To form a clear and detailed picture in the mind of a concept or situation to be understood or anticipated
2. To imagine or depict an object, event, or idea mentally, often to aid comprehension or planning
3. To create a mental image or representation of something not immediately present, often to enhance understanding or decision-making

Etymology: "Visualise" is a plain formation: English took the adjective "visual", from Late Latin "visualis" (relating to sight), and added the verb-forming suffix "-ise". That suffix is a spelling variant of "-ize", which turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to do or make what the base describes, so "visualise" means to make something visual, or to bring a thing into sight in the mind. The chain is short, but the sense has moved. The base "visual" concerns the eyes and what they see, and the verb extends that to the mind's eye, so to visualise is to form a picture of something that is not physically present. The verb carries the same logic as "familiarise" or "publicise", where a quality is turned into an action.

Synonyms: envision, imagine