Visionary
/ˈvɪʒ.əˌnɛr.i/noun
A person who imagines or plans the future with originality; also relating to a vision or the imagination.
Did you know?The word ultimately descends from Latin visio, “a seeing” or “sight,” and in older religious and philosophical use, a “vision” could mean a supernatural revelation, not just an idea.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weid-
“to see, know”
Latin
Latin
vidēre
“to see”
Latin
Latin
vīsiō
“a seeing, sight; in later use, a supernatural appearance or revelation”
Old French
Old French
visionaire
“having visions; relating to seeing or supernatural revelation”
Middle English
English
visionarie
“one who has visions; a person inspired by supernatural sight”
Modern English
English
visionary
“a person with original and imaginative ideas about the future”