/viz"it/ , v.t.
1. to go to and stay with (a person or family) or at (a place) for a short time for reasons of sociability, politeness, business, curiosity, etc.: to visit a friend; to visit clients; to visit Paris.
2. to stay with as a guest.
3. to come or go to: to visit a church for prayer.
4. to go to for the purpose of official inspection or examination: a general visiting his troops.
5. to come to in order to comfort or aid: to visit the sick.
6. to come upon; assail; afflict: The plague visited London in 1665.
7. to cause trouble, suffering, etc., to come to: to visit him with sorrows.
8. to access, as a Web site.
9. to inflict, as punishment, vengeance, etc. (often fol. by on or upon ).
v.i.
10. to make a visit.
11. to talk or chat casually: to visit on the phone with a friend.
12. to inflict punishment.
n.
13. the act of or an instance of visiting: a nice, long visit.
14. a chat or talk: We had a good visit on the way back from the grocery store.
15. a call paid to a person, family, etc.
16. a stay or sojourn as a guest.
17. an official inspection or examination.
18. the act of an officer of a belligerent nation in boarding a vessel in order to ascertain the nature of its cargo, its nationality, etc.: the right of visit and search.
[ 1175-1225; ME visiten (v.) ( visiter ) visitare, freq. of visere to go to see, itself freq. of videre to see ]