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Origin and history of visionary

visionary(adj.)

1640s, "of the nature of a vision;" 1650s, "able to see visions;" 1690s, "seen only in visions, unreal;" from vision (n.) + -ary.

The sense of "impractical, apt to act on visions as if realities" is attested by 1727. Visional for "pertaining to a vision or visions" is from 1580s.

visionary(n.)

c. 1700, both as "one able to behold visions" and "one who indulges in impractical fantasies, one who lives in imagination;" from visionary (adj.). A visionist (1660s) is one who believes he sees visions.

also from c. 1700

Entries linking to visionary

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.

-ary

adjective and noun word-forming element, in most cases from Latin -arius, -aria, -arium "connected with, pertaining to; the man engaged in," from PIE relational adjective suffix *-yo- "of or belonging to."

The neuter of the adjectives in Latin also were often used as nouns (solarium "sundial," vivarium, honorarium, cucumerarium "a cucumber field," etc.). It appears in words borrowed from Latin in Middle English. In later borrowings from Latin to French, it became -aire and passed into Middle English as -arie, subsequently -ary.

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    seer
    late 14c., "one to whom divine revelations are made, prophet, person who sees or foretells future events," agent noun from see (v.). Originally rendering Latin videns, Greek bleptor (rendering Hebrew roeh) in Bible translations (such as I Kings ix.9). The rare literal sense of "o
    airy
    late 14c., "of the air, containing air, made of air," from air (n.1) + -y (2). The meanings "breezy, exposed to the air, open to currents of air; lofty, high; light, buoyant; flimsy; flippant, jaunty, affectedly lofty; vain; unreal" all are attested by late 16c. From 1620s as "do
    utopian
    1550s, with reference to More's fictional country; 1610s as "extravagantly ideal, impossibly visionary," from utopia + -an...As a noun meaning "visionary idealist" it is recorded by 1832 (also in this sense was utopiast, 1845)....
    air
    To build castles in the air "entertain visionary schemes that have no practical foundation" is from 1590s (in 17c....English had airmonger "one preoccupied with visionary projects")....
    dream
    Sense of "think about idly, vainly, or fancifully; give way to visionary expectation" is from late 14c....
    quixotic
    Don Quixote as the type of anyone attempting the impossible or holding visionary but impossible ideals is in English from...
    Manichaeism
    Vegetarian and visionary, they saw "particles of light and goodness" trapped in evil matter and regarded Satan as co-eternal...
    intellectual
    late 14c., "grasped by the understanding" (rather than by the senses), from Old French intellectuel (13c.) and directly from Latin intellectualis "relating to the understanding," from intellectus "discernment, understanding," noun use of past participle of intelligere "to underst
    individual
    early 15c., "one and indivisible, inseparable" (with reference to the Trinity), from Medieval Latin individualis, from Latin individuus "indivisible," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + dividuus "divisible," from dividere "divide" (see divide (v.)). Original sense now ob
    mortal
    late 14c., "deadly, destructive to life; causing or threatening death" (of illness, poisons, wounds, etc.); also, of persons or the body, "doomed to die, subject to death;" from Old French mortel "destined to die; deserving of death" and directly from Latin mortalis "subject to d

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