Where does “visage” come from?

Visage comes from Middle English visage, from Old French visage meaning face, derived from Old French vis meaning face, from Latin visum meaning seen, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- meaning to live or see.

visage (English): Countenance; appearance; one's face

Definitions

  1. Countenance; appearance; one's face

Ancestry of “visage”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishvisageface
2Old Frenchvisageface
3Vulgar Latinvisaticumface
4Latinvīsushaving been seen
5Proto-Celticwissosknown
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwidtósseen; known
7Proto-Indo-Europeanweyd-to see

Words derived from “visage”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyd- →