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visitation Definition

vis·ita·tion (viz′ə tā′s̸hən)

noun

  1. the act or an instance of visiting; esp., an official visit to inspect or examine, as that made by a bishop to a church in his diocese
  2. a visiting of reward or, esp., punishment, as by God
  3. any affliction or disaster thought of as an act of God
  4. ☆
    1. the legal right of a divorced or separated parent to visit a child
    2. such a visit
  5. ☆
    1. the custom of visiting the mourning family of a deceased person
    2. such visiting or the time during which it is done
  6. Zool. migration of animals or birds to a particular place at an unusual time or in unusual numbers

Etymology: OFr < L visitatio

visitation Related Forms
vis′·ita′·tional adjective
visitation Idioms

the Visitation

R.C.Ch.
  1. the visit of the Virgin Mary to Elizabeth: Luke 1:39-56
  2. a church feast (May 31) commemorating this
visitation Synonyms

visitation

n.

  1. An affliction

    calamity, trouble, adversity, misfortune, distress, pain, sorrow, sickness; see also difficulty 1, 2.

  2. A visit

    call, sojourn, temporary stay; see visiting.

visitation Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • conduct: To prevent things from getting out of hand, the bishop would conduct a visitation, that means an inspection.
  • hold: Matters soon came to a deadlock, and the vice-dean and his party appealed to the bishop to hold a visitation under the statutes.

Converse of subject

  • die: The jury retuned a verdict of died by the visitation of God.

Adjective modifier

  • Kentish: Kentish visitations reveal, moreover, that it was not simply the chancel which remained an issue.
  • extraterrestrial: What is it about extraterrestrial visitation that implies the availability of physical proof?
  • episcopal: Nowadays selected parishes have an episcopal visitation and the timing of the events is staggered.
  • heraldic: Visitations of the north, or some early heraldic visitations of, and collections of pedigrees relating to, the north of England.
  • Episcopal: And, further, either our bishops will resume Episcopal visitations or the parish will accept delegated oversight.
  • angelic: The purpose for this angelic visitation was to point them to Jesus Christ.

Modifies a noun

  • pedigree: This seems to explain the Richard Skipwith who begins the visitation pedigree.
  • schedule: The Dean informs the Bishop he is a year behind with his visitation schedule.
  • right: Around 36 hours after being admitted to the hospital, I was moved back to a regular room with a phone and visitation rights.
  • return: The Bishop's Visitation Return for 1854 gives a picture of St Andrew's in the middle of the last century.
  • paper: Records include many visitation papers for the Archdeaconries of Norwich and Norfolk, including some presentments from the 16th century.
  • record: Judging from repeated remarks in the visitation records, it seems that his senses may first have been assailed by chickens.

Possessives

  • herald: The clerk was Gregory King, amanuensis to Sir William Dugdale, then on a herald's visitation at Egremont.

Preposition: in

  • inhibition: No records Causes recorded in AN/A 58 Archbishop Lamplugh's Visitation in 1690 Inhibition of Archdeaconry of Nottingham in force April - October 1690.

Preposition: of

  • priory: The bishop made a visitation of the priory in 1343.
  • spirit: I had in fact written the letter the day before Hogmanay and imagined this pleasant visitation of the spirits of the past.
  • house: There is little doubt that the bishop exercised a jurisdiction in the visitation of the house.
visitation Quotes

And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble.

—Bible (Apocrypha)