Visa
/ˈviːzə/noun
An official mark, stamp, or document allowing a person to enter, leave, or stay in a country.
Did you know?The word comes from the Latin phrase charta visa, meaning a paper that had been “seen,” so the modern visa began as a bureaucratic seal of approval, not a mystical travel charm.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
videre
“to see”
Medieval Latin
Latin
visa
“seen, having been examined”
Medieval Latin
Latin
charta visa
“a paper that has been seen and approved”
18th-19th Century
French/English
visa
“an official endorsement or authorization on a document”
Modern English
English
visa
“an official permission to enter or remain in a country”