Sc. Forms: α. 5–6 vesy, wesy, 6 wese, wessie, vese, vesie. β. 5–6, 8 visy, 5 wysy, 6 wis(s)y, -ie, vis(s)e, visye, 6–7 visie, 6, 9 vissie, 8 vizzey, 8–9 vizzy, 8– vizy. [ad. ONF. viseer (Wace):—L. vīsitāre VISIT v.]
† 1. trans. To go to see; to pay a visit or visits to; to visit. Obs. a. a person.
Freq. in the 16th c.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, v. (John), 631. He vent to vesy þe kinge, & tel hym of his travalinge.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., V. 3899. Scho oyssit to wesy bodely Al pur folk þat was nere by.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, ix. 28. I confess me, Lord! that I … To hungre meit, nor drynk to thristy gaif, Nor veseit the seik.
1550. in Exch. Rolls Scotl., XVIII. 502, note. Ane sair leg, quharthrouch I mycht nocht cum west tyll wisy þe and uthir freyndis.
1583. in Wodrow Soc. Misc. (1844), 460. He was … maist wiland to wissie the puirest creatour, being aduertisit or requyreit thairunto, in the verray nicht seson.
1600. Hamilton, in Cath. Tractates (S.T.S.), 231. Elizabeth … sayd,… how is this commit to me, that the Mother of my lord suld come to visie me.
b. a place.
1535. Lyndesay, Satyre, 504. I mak ane vow,… Richt reuerentlie thy Tempill to visie.
1549. Compl. Scot., Prol. 13. Thir tua princis vsit oft to visye the feildis to tak ther recreatione. Ibid., vi. 38. Quhen titan vas visiand antepodos.
2. To look at closely or attentively; to regard, see, view.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, III. 103. The worthi Scottis … Send twa skowrrouris to wesy weyll the playne.
c. 1470. Golagros & Gaw., 243. The king stude vesiand the wall.
a. 1500. Bernardus de cura rei fam. (E.E.T.S.), 212. Haffand a gret delyte For to wesy … oculatouris or trumpouris.
1533. Bellenden, Livy, IV. xv. (S.T.S.), 100. Frequent nowmer of pepill þat come to vesy þir playis.
a. 1568. A. Scott, Poems (S.T.S.), xxvii. 33. Quhen scho growis heich, I draw on dreich, To vesy and behald the end.
1724. Ramsay, Vision, vii. I vizyt him then round about. Ibid. (1725), Gentle Sheph., III. ii. Prol. ’Tis Symon’s house, please to step in, And visy ’t round and round.
1790. Shirrefs, Poems, 256. When first your Castles I did vizzey.
1867. J. Grant, White Cockade, I. 60. An eye was seen to vizzy them carefully.
† b. To examine, inspect, survey, or view formally or officially. Obs.
1496. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., I. 321. To pas to Borthuik … to vesy tymmyre for gun paraling. Ibid. (1512), IV. 459. To xxxvj marynaris for ij dais quhen the Franchmen passit to vesy the schippis.
1561. Exch. Rolls Scotl., XIX. 265, note. Thir our lettres being anis producit thairin and vesyt be the lordis auditouris therof.
1597. Skene, Acts of Parlt., Table s.v. Prenters, Prenters suld not prent ony buikes, or vther thing, bot that quhilk is visied and tryed, havand the Kingis licence.
† c. With clause as object, or with to and inf. Obs.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xl. (Ninian), 559. Ȝet wald he [i.e., a bishop] mekly on fete ga … to visy in quhat wyse þe kirkmen did þar seruice.
1497. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., I. 380. To the man that ȝeid to vesy to se gif he could wyn sclait, ij1/2 vnicornis.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot. (Rolls), III. 431. The erle of Marche … and mony lordis mo, Come to his tent to visie how he did.
1556. Peebles Burgh Rec. (1872), 235. The thesaurare to vesy gif ony timber be to by to mak portis of.
d. To visé. rare–2.
1867. J. Grant, White Cockade, I. 54. Letters—signed and vizzied by the conservator of Scottish privileges at Campvere, and the British ambassador.
† 3. a. To afflict or visit (a person) with sickness or harm. Obs.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, VII. 381. His fadyr … wes wesyed with seknes.
a. 1500. Colkelbie Sow, 595. Throuch the will of God, so as it was, Thay war weseit with suddane soir seikness.
1549. Compl. Scot., ii. 24. I sal visee you vitht dreddour, vitht fyir, ande vitht suellieg (sic).
† b. To punish (a sin or wrong). Obs.
1552. Abp. Hamilton, Catech. (1884), 58. I will visie and punis the synnis quhilk the fatheris dois … on thair sonnis.
1562. A. Scott, Poems (S.T.S.), i. 151. To wisy all þir wrangus workis … God gife þe grace.
4. intr. (or absol.). To look or gaze.
1513. Douglas, Æneid, III. ix. 113. And weseand all about, I se at last This navy of ȝouris drawand hiddir fast.
1536. Bellenden, Cron. Scot. (1821), I. p. xliv. And sine thay luke and visies throwe the cleir and purifyit watter, quhill thay se the mussilis.
1899. in Eng. Dial. Dict. (Shetland dial.).
5. To take aim with a gun, etc.; to aim at.
1582–8. Hist. James VI. (1804), 75. He … cuttit ane small hole in the tarlies, quhairby he might vissie with his hagbute.
1818. Hogg, Brownie of Bodsbeck, viii. They’ll maybe hae been trying how weel they could vizy at the wild ducks.
1824. Mactaggart, Gallovid. Encycl., 457. Some raw hands, when vizzying first at the nail in the bull’s eye of the target with loaded ball [etc.].
Hence Vizying vbl. sb. (also attrib.).
1552. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., X. 148. The lairdis of Corswell, Auchyngassill, Cowhill, commissioneris for veseing of the futemen to be rasit within the Sherefdomes quhair thai dwell.
1825. R. Chambers, Trad. Edinb., I. 236. Sometimes the rod was simply stretched across the vizzying hole, a convenient aperture through which the porter could take cognizance of the person applying.
