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Origin and history of vision

vision(n.)

c. 1300, visioun, "that which is seen," specifically "something seen in the imagination or in the supernatural" by one sleeping or waking; from Anglo-French visioun, Old French vision "presence, sight; view, look, appearance; dream, supernatural sight" (12c.), from Latin visionem (nominative visio) "act of seeing, sight, thing seen," noun of action from past-participle stem of videre "to see" (from PIE root *weid- "to see").

Also "a narrative account of a vision" (mid-14c.). By early 15c. as "a visual perception" (of something). The meanings "sense of sight, faculty that perceives by the eye;" also "act of seeing external objects" are recorded by late 15c.

In 20c. use, "distinct, vivid mental conception of a scheme or anticipation." The meaning "statesman-like foresight, political sagacity" is attested from 1926.

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to vision

au revoir(interj.)

1690s, French, "good-bye for now," literally "to the seeing again." From au "to the" (see au) + revoir "see again, see in turn" (Old French reveoir, 12c.), from Latin revidere, from re- "back, again" (see re-) + videre "to see" (see vision).

envision(v.)

"call to the mind's eye," 1914, from en- (1) "make, put in" + vision (n.). Related: Envisioned; envisioning. Vision (v.) in this sense is from 1590s. Earlier (1827) is envision'd in a sense of "endowed with vision."

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history
late 14c., "relation of incidents" (true or false), from Old French estoire, estorie "story; chronicle, history" (12c., Modern French histoire), from Latin historia "narrative of past events, account, tale, story," from Greek historia "a learning or knowing by inquiry; an account
television
1907, as a theoretical system to transmit moving images over telegraph or telephone wires; formed in English or borrowed from French télévision, from tele- + vision. Television is not impossible in theory. In practice it would be very costly without being capable of serious appl
video
1935, as visual equivalent of audio, from Latin video "I see," first person singular present indicative of videre "to see" (see vision). As a noun, "that which is displayed on a (television) screen," 1937. Engineers, however, remember the sad fate of television's first debut and
optometry
"measurement of the range of vision; measurement of the visual powers in general," 1886, from optometer (1738), name given...to an instrument for testing vision, from opto- "sight," from Greek optos "seen, visible" (from PIE root *okw- "to see")...Sort, by means of an Instrument I had contrived for that Purpose; which from its Use in measuring the Limits of distinct Vision...
optic
late 14c., optik, "of or pertaining to the eye as the organ of vision," from Old French optique, obtique (c. 1300) and directly...Meaning "relating to or pertaining to vision or sight" is from 1590s....
dream
Much study has failed to prove that Old English dream is the source of the modern word for "sleeping vision," despite being...Perhaps the meaning of the word changed dramatically, or "vision" was an unrecorded secondary Old English meaning of dream...According to Middle English Compendium, the replacement of swefn (Middle English swevn) by dream in the sense "sleeping vision...Old English also had mæting in the "sleeping vision" sense....
descry
From mid-14c. as "detect, find out, discover" (something concealed), also "discover by vision, get sight of."...
prevision
early 15c., previsioun, "foresight," from Old French prévision (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin previsionem (nominative previsio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin praevidere "see first, see beforehand," from prae "before" (see pre-) + videre "to see" (fro
imagination
"faculty of the mind which forms and manipulates images," mid-14c., ymaginacion, from Old French imaginacion "concept, mental picture; hallucination," from Latin imaginationem (nominative imaginatio) "imagination, a fancy," noun of action from past participle stem of imaginari "t
sight
Middle English sight, from Old English sihð, gesiht, gesihð "thing seen; power or faculty of sight; aspect; vision; apparition," from Proto-Germanic *sekh(w)- (source also of Danish sigte, Swedish sigt, Middle Dutch sicht, Dutch zicht, Old High German siht, German Sicht, Gesicht)

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