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VISA.
Hence 'Ti-** v. trans., to \isi. Also Vi'saed
^/. a.
1S47 Webster s.v. /*/V, Hence, travelers speak of getting
their passports vistud. 1858 Homans CycL Commerce
1500/2 For each passport so visaed, 1896 li^estm. Gaz.
3 Mar. 3/2 For want of the same readily visaed passport.
tVi'Sable,
'?. Obs.—^ [f. Vise z/. + -able.]
Able to plan or act wisely.
c 1440 LovELiCH Merlin ix. 9544 (TheyJ seiden he was a
worthy knyht, vayllaunt & vysable jn every fyht.
Visage (vi'zed^), sb. Forms: 4-6 vysage (4
fysa^e), uisage, 4- visage (4, 5 .SV., wisage,
wysage), 5 visache, 6 visadge, 6 Sc. visag
(wissag), vissage ; 4 vysege, fisege, 5 fyssege ;
5 vesage, -ayge, Sc, wesage, 6 ^V. vessage.
[a. AF. and OF. (also mod.F.) visage,-^^, visage,
visaje, Pg. visagem. It. visaggio^ i, L, 'vis-us face
(cf. Via sb>) : see -age.]
1. The face, the front part of the head, of a
person (rarely of an animal).
1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 5S87 He hydde hys
vysege al |»at he my^t, Out of knowlych of here sy?t. 13 .
Coerde L. 827 Sche gahchyd herself in the vysage. c 1340
Nominale (Skeat) 14 Forhede, visage, and browes. c 1380
Sir Ferumb. 1162 (>e bond J»at is fysage was bonnde wy)».
f 1400 Lan/ranc's Cirur^. 141 To treten of anotamie of ^e
visage, a j^$o Afirk's /-'estial 141 Then had \>U Vaspasyan
..a inaledy yn hys vysage. ^1489 Caxton Sonnes 0/
Ay$non ix. 230 They scratched theyr vysages & pnUed
theyr heeres. 1568 Graftos Chron. II. 296 He was sore
hurt in the bodye and in the visage. 1588 Shaks. /,, L. L.
V. ii. 144 Vpon the next occasion that we meete, With
Visages displayd to talke and greete. 163a J. Porv in
Ellis Orig. Lett, Ser. 11. III. 272 One out of the house dischardgedhaileshot
upon Mr. Atturntes sonnes face, which
..pitifully mangled his visage. 1653 W. Ramesev Astral,
Restored 297 Rubbing their feet about their visage and
head, whence the vulgar usually say at such times, the
cat washeth her face. 1697 Drvden ^neid ix. 1019 Scalp,
face, and shoulders, the keen steel divides ; And the shared
visage hangs on equal sides. 1715 Pope Iliad 11. 331
Sbmnk in abject fears, From his vile visage (he] wiped the
scalding tears. 1784 Cook's Voy. II. iv. i. 273 Sometimes
the orator of the canoe would have his face covered with a
mask, representing either a human visage, or that of some
animal. 1797 Godwin Enquirer 1. xii. 108 There are no
wrinkles in his visage. 1843 Borrow Bible in Spain vi,
The sun burnt my visage, but I heeded it not. 1847 C.
Bronte y. Eyre xxvi. The maniac bellowed : she parted
her shaggy locks from her visage, i860 Tvndall Glac. i.
v. 41 The ruddy lire-light . . lending animation to the visages
sketched upon them \sc. the walls] with charcoal.
't'b. In em's (or the) visage, in or to one*s face,
X430-40 LvDC. Bochas V. X. (1554) 120 b, On a day, the
story telteth us, With Aflfricans and folkcs of Chartage,
Sipbax the Romaines met in the visage. 1470-85 Malokv
Arthur t. xi. 61 But euer the xj Kyiiges and their hooste
was euer in the vysage of .Arthur. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg.
18/2 That the moneye-.he tooke and dyde with all his
prouffyt, and [it] was prevyd in his vysage that [etc.]. 1521
Burgh Rec. Stirling {\Z%-f) 12 Frier Wynssent. .protestit
solemnitlyin presensof the saidis bailies, and in the vesiagh
\sic\ of the haiU court, that [etc.].
2. The face with reference to the form or proportions
of the features,
a 1300 Cursor M. 18858 O suilk a modfir, wel slik a child.
Wit fair wisage. 13.. K. Alts. 6425 (I^ud MS.), Ano]>er
folk bisiden is, WiJ» brode visage, & pleyn, I wys. 1375
Barbour Bruce i, 383 In wysage wes he sumdeill gray.
-uerse in somme caas or of body or of membres
..or of the visage. (11533 Lu. Berneks Huon xxiv. 71, I
neucr sawc.soofayre a creture in y* visage. 1550 J. Coke
Eng. ff Fr. Heralds §5, Saynt Gregory.. writeth,.howe
the vysages of Englande resemble more unto aungelles tlian
earthly creatures. 159* R. D. Hypnerotovtachia 34 b,
With a visage adulterated betwixt a mans and a Goates.
x6a5 B. JoNSON Staple News 11, i, Shun. And such a parboil'd
visage !
Fit. His face looks like a dyer's apron, ju^t.
1697 Drvden ALneid ix. 890 Old Butes' form he took, . . His
wrinkled visage, and his hoary hairs. 171a Steele Spect.
No. 518 P9 The intrinsick Worth. .is ordinarily calculated
from the Cast of his Visage, the Contour of his Person [etc.].
X769 E. Bancroft Guiana 133 The visage of this animal is
erect, & pretty much resembles that of the Quato. 1775
AoAiR Amer. Ind. 5 Their faces are tolerably round, contrary
to the visage of the others, which inclines mucli to
flatness. x8so W. Ikving Sketch Bk. I. 72 Their visages,
loo, were peculiar : one had a large head, broad face, and
imall piggish eyes. 1863 Geo. Eliot Romola iii, A visage
like mine, looking no fresher than an apple that has stood
the winter. x866 G. Macdonald Ann, Q. Neighb. xxxii.
(1878) 554 The form of her visage was altered.
3. The face or features as expressive of feeling or
temperament ;
the countenance.
133^ R. BRUNNKCAr^w*. (1810) 308 BoldelyJ>ei bed bataile
with village fuUe austere. at tellenhem treut^e,
noo drede )»ei frozen heere owen confusion, c 1400 Rom.
Rose 7^e welkyn. 1570-6 Lam-
BARDE Peramb. Kent (1826) 395 This is the lively visage in
deede, both of the one and the other.
7. An appearance or aspect. -^ By the first visage^
at first sight.
142a Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 157 Ofte tymes verite hath
a vysage of lesynge, and ofte tymes a lesynge hath a coloure
of verite. 1456 Sir G. Have Laxv Arms (S.T.S.) 193
As be the first visage it semys that he suld nouthir obey to
the tane na to the tothir. 1531 Elyot Gov. i. x, To here
ihinges merueilous and exquisite, whiche hath in it a visage
of some thinges incredible. 1693 Ray Creation i. (ed. 2) 103
'J'he sad and melancholick Visage of their Leaves, Flowers
and Fruit. x8ix Pinkerton /*^/?a/. I. 351 Noble serpentine,
.is generally of a dark leek green, and of an unctuous
visage. 1905 Times, Lit. Supp. 27 Jan. 28/3 Freeman.,
tries to reconstitute the visage of the towns Pippin.. took
and the towns he passed by.
f 8. An assumed appearance ; an outward show
a pretence or semblance. Obs.
1390 Gower Con/ III. 227 Thing which men nevere afore
knewe He broghte up thanne of his taillage, And all was
under the visage Of werkes which he made tho. 1524 St.
Papers Hen. V/II, VI. 280 Demonstracions and colorable
deallnges, .sounding more to a shewe and visage then to
any parfite frute. 1534 More Com/, agst. Trib. iii. Wks.
1211/2 They see him so many times make a great visage of
warre, whan he myndeth it not. 1604 Shaks. Oth. i. i. 50
Others there are Who trym'd in Formes, and visages of
Dutie, Keepe yet their hearts attending on themseUies.
a 1684 Leighton Comm. 1 Pet. iii. 15 ' Be not deceived;
God is not mocked.' He looks through all vis.ages and
appearances, in upon the heart.
t b. To give a visage, to create an appearance
or impression. Obs.
1549 Bonner jn Foxe A. Sf M. (1563) 717/1 Lest that
they tarieing with such preachers should.. gyue a vysage
to the encouragement of other. Ibid. 718/1 Your tarieng
with him still . . shal geue a visage, that there doctrin is
tollerable.
9. Comb., 2,% visage-burner, -changed ad].
i6j5 K. Long tr. Barclay's Argenis 11. viii. 88 As once in
Tyre Pale, guilty, visage-chang'd Penthevs appear'd. z8a4
J. BowRiNG Batavian Anthol. 158 Beast—annoyer—visageburner—
Fair-one's spoiler— maiden's hate,
t Vi"Sage, v. Obs. rare. [f. prec. F. envisager
is recorded only from 1583, and there is no independent
evidence for Palsgrave's visager^
VIS-A-VIS.
1. trans. To face or confront.
c 1386 Chaucer Merch, T. 1029 Al hadde man seyn a
thyng with bothe hise eyen, Yit shul we wommen visage it
hardily, And wepe and swere and chide subtilly.
2. To look upon or at ; to regard or observe.
1450 Paston Lett. I. 150 My Lord was with the Kyiige,
and he vesaged so the mater thatalle the Kynges howshold
was and is aferd ryght sore. 1530 Palsgr. 765/2 This man
hath vysaged me wellsythe I cameinadores. 1531 Elvot
Goz>, 11. ii. The theues. .humbly approched to Scipio, who
visaged them in suche fourme that they.. made humble
reuerence.
Hence +Vi'saging vbl. j/^., meeting, encountering.
Obs,
a 1500 Gough Chron. in Six Town Chi-on. (1911) 159 The
duke of Somerset! and Sir John Nevyle knyght son of the
Erie of Salisbury had grete visagyng to gidder at London.
Visaged (vi-zed^d), a. [f. Vjsage j^^.] Having
a visage of a specified kind.
Frequent (from the 15th c.) as-the second element in
combs., e.g. black-, close; double', grim-, hard-, long-,
sharp-visaged : see these adjs.
13.. A'. Alls. 6351 (Laud
Visaged after hounde I wys.
MS.), Anojjer folk bisyde is
X607 Walkington Opt. Glass
65 By reason of his sad heavy humor, always stoically
visaged. x6t3 T^vo Noble K. v. iii. 52 Arcite is gently
visagd. X638 Mayne Luciau (1664) 132 Before his arrivall
he made a linnen head to his Dragon, visaged like a Man,
and painted like one. 1865 H. Bushnell Vicar. Sacr. 11.
ii. (1868) 153 Christ passes before us visaged in sorrow. 1894
Heslop Northumbld. Wds. 375 Hickory/yeced, pockmarked,
ill visaged.
Visar, obs. Sc. form of VisoB.
Visard.(e, obs. forms of Vizard.
II Vis-a-vis (vi:zav/"-), sb.jprep., and adv. Also
8 viz-a-viz, 8-9 vis-a-vis. [F. vis-h-vis face to
face, f. vis :— L, visum, ace. of visits sight, face :
see Vis sb,'^'\
A. sb, 1. A light carriage for two persons sitting
face-to-face. Obs. exc. Hist.
X753 H. Walpole Let. to G. Montague 17 July, He was
walking slowly, .with., two pages, three footmen andaw/Vd-vis
following him. 1768 J. Byron Na^r. Patagonia (ed.
2) 230 The common vehicle hei^e is a calash, or kind of vis-
Ji-vis, drawn by one mule only. X781 W. Hayley Triumphs
0/ Temper 11. 98 Her quick eyes sparkle with siu-prise to see
The glories of a golden viz-a*viz. 183X Sir J. Sinclair
Corr. II. 357 It is necessary to purchase a very strong carriage.
. . A vis-a-vis is the best shape, made so that it can be
converted into a bed. 1844 Act 7