Can someone please explain to me why it is called “Visa” in some languages and “Visum” in others? My understanding is that “visum” means “that which has been seen” in Latin. What does “visa” mean then?
> My understanding is that “visum” means “that which has been seen” in Latin. What does “visa” mean then?
Basically the same thing, from the same root verb “vidēre”; vīsum is “that which has been seen” (noun), vīsa is “which has been seen” (adjective), from which English and some other languages have derived a noun “visa” as a shortening of the modern Latin “charta vīsa” (“paper/document which has been seen”) possibly through a french intermediary before English (different sources I’ve seen disagree on this.)
They're both forms (perfect passive particle in particular) of the latin verb "video". So they both mean "having been seen". The difference is in gender. visa = feminine; visum = neuter; visus = masculine.
Basically the same thing, from the same root verb “vidēre”; vīsum is “that which has been seen” (noun), vīsa is “which has been seen” (adjective), from which English and some other languages have derived a noun “visa” as a shortening of the modern Latin “charta vīsa” (“paper/document which has been seen”) possibly through a french intermediary before English (different sources I’ve seen disagree on this.)