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vis·i·ta·tion (vĭz′ĭ-tāshən)
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n.
1. The action or an instance of visiting or an instance of being visited: rules governing visitation at a prison.
2. An official visit for the purpose of inspection or examination, as of a bishop to a diocese.
3. The provision made for a parent to spend time with a child who is in the physical custody of another.
4. A gathering of people in remembrance of a deceased person, especially in the presence of the body at a funeral home.
5.
a. An inflicting of punishment or affliction or a dispensation of comfort and blessing regarded as being ordained by God.
b. A calamitous event or experience; a grave misfortune: a visitation of an epidemic.
6. The appearance or arrival of a supernatural being.
7. Visitation Roman Catholic Church
a. The visit of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth.
b. May 31, observed in commemoration of this event.
vis′i·tation·al adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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