visitant

[ viz-i-tuhnt ]

noun

1. a temporary resident; visitor; guest.
2. a visitor to a place of religious or sight-seeing interest; pilgrim.
3. a being believed to come from the spirit world:

   a ghostly visitant.

4. something, as a mood, feeling, emotion, etc., that overtakes a person from time to time:

   Melancholy is an occasional visitant to all.

5. a migratory bird that has come to a place temporarily.

adjective

1. visiting; paying a visit.

visitant

/ ˈvɪzɪtənt /

noun

1. a supernatural being; ghost; apparition
2. a visitor or guest, usually from far away
3. a pilgrim or tourist
4. Also calledvisitor a migratory bird that is present in a particular region only at certain times

   a summer visitant

adjective

1. archaic.
   paying a visit; visiting

Word History and Origins

Origin of visitant¹

First recorded in 1590–1600, visitant is from the Latin word vīsitant- (stem of vīsitāns ). See visit, -ant

Word History and Origins

Origin of visitant¹

C16: from Latin vīsitāns going to see, from vīsitāre; see visit

Synonym Study

See visitor.

Example Sentences

“Mental terrors, sir! I wish I could believe them to be only such: I wish it more now than ever; since even you cannot explain to me the mystery of that awful visitant.”

From Literature

One difference was that Lucian’s visitants usually took off their clothes.

From New York Times

At Clear Lake, the western grebe is a breeding bird and also a winter visitant, attracted by the abundant fish of the lake.

From The New Yorker

It’s another rare visitant — it last left home at Amherst College in 1986 — and it’s almost a shock to see how small it is: pocket-size, like a holy card or a talisman.

From New York Times

At Clear Lake the western grebe is a breeding bird and also a winter visitant, attracted by the abundant fish of the lake.

From Literature