Origin and history of visitant

early 13c., visiten, "go or come to see" (a person or thing, originally often of God); also especially "come to (the sick, prisoners) to comfort or benefit them;" from Old French visiter "to visit; inspect, examine; afflict" (12c.) and directly from Latin visitare "to go to see, come to inspect." This is a frequentative of visere "behold, visit" (a person or place), itself formed from past-participle stem of videre "to see, notice, observe" (from PIE root *weid- "to see").

The general sense of "come or go, pay a call" is from mid-13c. The meaning "come upon, overtake, afflict" (in reference to sickness, punishment, etc.) is in English by mid-14c., originally of God, "send divine judgment upon." Related: Visited; visiting.