▪ I. visor, vizor, n.
(ˈvaɪzə(r))
Forms: α. 4–7 viser, vyser (6 wesser); 5 visere, vysere, Sc. veseir, -ere. β. 5–6 visar, Sc. wysar, 6 vysar, 6–7 (9) vizar; Sc. 5–6 wesar, 6 vesar, vezar. γ. 5 vesoure, 6 visoure, vysour(e, 7 vizour, 6–7 (9) visour; 6– visor, vizor (7 vizzor).
[a. AF. viser, f. F. vis face, vice n.3 Cf. visiere and visure.]
1. a. The front part of a helmet, covering the face but provided with holes or openings to admit of seeing and breathing, and capable of being raised and lowered; sometimes spec. the upper portion of this. Also transf.
| α 13.. Coer de L. 323 Hys pusen therwith gan gon, And also hys brandellet bon, Hys vyser and hys gorgere. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8552 By þe vyser he hym hent, & held it til he had sesed his nekke. c 1400 Destr. Troy 7092 He..voidet his viser, auentid hym seluyn. 1412–20 Lydg. Chron. Troy i. 4185 Lamedoun, with a despiteous chere, From his face raced his visere. 1464 Mann. & Househ. Exp. (Roxb.) 194 My mastyr lent hym..a salat wyth a vesere of meleyn. 1470–85 Malory Arthur v. xii. 181 Thenne the kyng aualyd his vyser with a meke & noble countenaunce. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon cxliv. 540 Then Gloryand and Malabrone lyft vp theyr wessers and shewyd theyr faces. 1611 Cotgr., Visiere, the viser, or sight of an helmet. |
| β c 1470 Henry Wallace viii. 830 Ane other awkwart apon the face tuk he; Wysar and frount bathe in the feild gert fle. Ibid. x. 386 Graym..smate that knycht in teyn, Towart the wesar, a litill be neth the eyn. 1507 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. III. 367 Item, for ane vesar to ane gret hewmond and ane litill gard that beris the gret gard,..lvj s. 1508 Dunbar Poems vii. 76. 1530 Palsgr. 285/1 Vysar of harnes, uisiere dung armet. |
| γ 1459 Paston Lett. I. 487 Item, viii. saletts, white, withe out vesoure. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. vii. 42 She..made him low incline his lofty crest, And bowd his battred visour to his brest. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado ii. i. 99 Why then your visor should be thatcht. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Helmet, Dukes and Princes have their Helmet, damask'd, fronting, the Vizor almost open, and without Bars. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) II. 35 In this state nearly globular,..resembling in figure an antique helmet with a vizor. 1803 Scott Cadyow Castle xxxix, From the raised vizor's shade, his eye, Dark-rolling, glanced the ranks along. 1836 Thirlwall Greece xvi. II. 336 He was pierced with a shaft of a javelin through the visor of his helmet. 1879 Green Read. Eng. Hist. xvii. 82 They were in mail with their vizors down. 1957 Time 2 Sept. 37/2 Simons quickly clamped shut the visor of his space helmet. 1962 W. Schirra in Into Orbit 51 Once we are up..we can open up our visor and breathe the cabin air for a bit. |
b. U.S. The stiff rounded part on the front of a cap;
= peak n.2 1 e.
| 1864 Webster. 1892 Bierce In Midst of Life 95 His cap was worn with the visor a trifle askew. |
c. A shade for protecting the eyes from unwanted light while not impeding the vision;
spec. one attached to the top of the wind-screen of a motor vehicle or aircraft.
| 1925 J.-L. Hudon Lexique Technique 109 Windshield visor. 1936, etc. [see sun visor s.v. sun n. 13 a]. 1952 Times 9 Jan. 3/3 Canberra pilots at Binbrook are testing a new type of visor for protecting crews against the glare at high altitudes. 1957 Rawnsley & Wright Night Fighter 57, I peered into the visor [of a radar], trying to accustom my eyes to the dim light. 1973 ‘E. McBain’ Let's hear It iii. 41 The visor on the driver's side was down. |
2. A mask to conceal the face; a vizard.
| α 13.. Seuyn Sages (W.) 2779 A viser he made more, Two faces bihinde and two before. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 226 Siche fendis wiþ þer visers maken men to flee pees. c 1485 Wisdom 755 in Digby Myst. (1896) 166 Here entre vj womane in sute, thre disgysede as galauntes, and thre as matrones, with wonderfulle vysers. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1570) 232 The one hath a viser vgly set on his face, Another hath on vile counterfaite vesture. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 16 Thei were appareled in garmentes long and brode..with visers and cappes of gold. |
| β 1530 Palsgr. 285/1 Vysar for a mummar, faulx uisaige. 1539 Act 31 Hen. VIII, c. 12 Any person..with his face hyde or covered withe hoode or vysar. 1547 in Feuillerat Revels Edw. VI (1914) 14 Vezars or maskes for men & women. 1570 Googe Pop. Kingd. iv. 48 Their faces hid alone, With visars close. 1628 Donne Serm. (1640) 231 In the Resurrection, God shall put of that Vizar, and turne away that picture, and shew his own face. a 1689 A. Behn tr. Cowley's Plants vi. 1426 His Image..Breaks through the Cloud of Darkness; and a Shine Gilds all the sooty Vizar! |
| γ 1511–12 Act 3 Hen. VIII, c. 9 Preamble, Dyvers persones have disgysed and appareld theym, and covert theyr fayces with Vysours. 1555 Eden Decades iii. (Arb.) 184 The fouler in the meane tyme, disguysinge hym selfe as it were with a visour. 1578 T. N. tr. Conq. W. India 205 Each of those Idolles had a counterfaite visor with eies of glasse. 1628 Wither Brit. Rememb. ii. 7 Lines, therefore, over-darke, or over-trimm'd, Are like a Picture with a Visour limm'd. 1682 J. Flavel Fear 78 There are some things which are..scarecrows and vizors which children fear. 1693 Humours Town 127 You can never think an Amour began in a Vizor in the Play-house, will ever end in the Church. 1719 Young Busiris iii. i, The rest in vizors, fearing to be known, Have ventur'd thro' the streets for your protection. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian vi, They were disguised in cloaks and visors. a 1839 Praed Poems (1864) II. 436 With a fearful vizor on his face, And a bright axe in his hand. 1906 B. Capes Loaves & Fishes 146 The eyelets in its woollen visor were like holes scorched through by the burning gaze behind. |
3. fig. (or in
fig. contexts).
a. An outward appearance or show under which something different is hid; a mask or disguise.
| 1532 More Confut. Tindale Wks. 354/2, I shall so pull of theire gaye paynted visours, that euery man..shall plainlye perceiue and beholde the bare vgly gargyle faces of their abhominable heresie. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. vii. 1 The crafty cunning traine, By which deceipt doth maske in visour faire. 1606 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iv. Magnif. 590 All discover'd lies, The vizor's off. 1653 Holcroft Procopius, Vand. Wars i. 4 He concealed his dislike (their enmity being covered yet under a fair visour). 1692 Washington tr. Milton's Def. Pop. ii. M.'s Wks. 1851 VIII. 41 I'll make it appear that you have only put on a Knaves Vizor for the present. 1766 Fordyce Serm. Yng. Wom. (1767) I. iv. 132 A person proceeds by little and little to take off the visor. 1798 Bragge in Anti-Jacobin 12 Feb. (1852) 61 But soon the vizor dropp'd. 1822 Shelley Chas. I, i. 76 When lawyers masque 'tis time for honest men To strip the vizor from their purposes. 1831 Scott Chron. Canongate Introd., It appeared to him that it would have been an idle piece of affectation to attempt getting up a new incognito, after his original visor had been thus dashed from his brow. 1855 Brewster Newton II. xv. 81 Nor can we justify his personal retreat from the battle-field, and his return under the vizor of an accomplished champion. |
b. Const.
of (the quality, etc., serving as a mask or disguise).
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 258 Under the viser of Envie, Lo, thus was hid the tricherie, Which hath beguiled manyon. 1547 J. Harrison Exhort. Scottes D viij b, So apperyng to theim with a visor of simplicitie and holines..gat credite of vertue and Godlinesse. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 144 There is scarse any substaunce at all in Free will,..except a glorious visour of Title onely. 1614 Raleigh Hist. World iii. 65 This Vizzor of holie and zealous reuenge falling off, discouered the face of couetousnesse so much the more ouglie. a 1656 Bp. Hall Rem. Wks. (1660) 122 Those that are meer outsides and visors of Christianity. 1677 W. Hubbard Narrative ii. 32 He pulled off his Vizour of a friend, and discovered what he was. 1857 C. Brontë Professor x, I had buckled on a breast-plate of steely indifference, and let down a visor of impassible austerity. 1860 J. W. Warter Sea Board II. 19 She put on the vizar of religion. |
† 4. A face or countenance; an outward aspect or appearance. Also
fig. of immaterial things.
Obs.| 1575 T. Vautrollier Luther on Ep. Gal. 158 They looke onely vpon the outward visour of the lawe. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia i. iii. (1912) 21 This lowtish clowne is such, that you never saw so ill favourd a visar. a 1591 H. Smith Restit. Nebuchadn. 17 They which vnderstand not yet what is the booke of God, are but horse and mule, though they beare the visors of men. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 15 Sicknesse, Poverty, Exile, Death,..by expectation lessen the terror of their visors. 1693 Congreve Old Bach. iii. vi, Lay by that Worldly Face and produce your natural Vizor. |
5. A variety of pigeon (see
quots.).
| 1879 L. Wright Pigeon Keeper 179 Vizors are another and the last introduced of the short-billed Frilled Pigeons. 1881 J. C. Lyell Fancy Pigeons 236 The Vizor. This variety was produced by crossing the domino with the satinette tribe, the object being to have coloured headed satinettes. 1892 ― Pigeon-keeping 102 The Vizor may be called a Bluette with coloured head, as in the Domino. |
6. a. attrib. and
Comb., as
visor-clasp,
visor-helm,
visor-smile;
vizor-faced,
visor-like adjs.;
visor-bearer, a Brazilian bird having head-feathers arranged like a visor.
| 1546 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 42 With visor⁓lyke visage, suche as it was, She smirkt. 1598 E. Guilpin Skial. (1878) 36 This vizar-fac't pole-head dissimulation, This parrasite. 1797 T. Park Sonn. 106 O! that the world would by her ways improve,..Nor wear the vizor-smile of feigned love. 1798 Landor Gebir i. 51 His vizor-helm, His buckler and his corset [1803 corslet] he laid by. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles vi. xxvii, Strong Egremont for air must gasp, Beauchamp undoes his visor-clasp. 1861 Gould Monogr. Trochilidæ IV. Pl. 221 Augastes Scutatus, Natterer's Vizor-bearer. Ibid. Pl. 222 Augastes Lumachellus, Hooded Vizor-bearer. |
b. visor-mask, (
a) a form of disguising mask; a domino; (
b) a prostitute.
Cf. vizard-mask.
| (a) 1672 [H. Stubbe] Rosemary & Bayes 11 Personam induere doth also signifie to put on a perruke and visor-mask. 1679 Dryden Limberham v. i, I will put on my vizor-mask, however, for more security. 1700 T. Brown Amusem. Ser. & Com. v. 50 A Whore [is known] by a Vizor-Mask: And a Fool by Talking to her. 1713 Guardian No. 4 ¶1 Even Truth itself in a Dedication is like an Honest Man in a Disguise, or Vizor-Mask. |
| (b) 1693 Humours Town 105 The Orange-Wenches, and the Vizor-Masks. 1694 Congreve Double Dealer Epil., The Vizor-Masks, that are in Pit and Gallery, Approve, or Damn the Repartee and Rallery. |
▪ II. ˈvisor, ˈvizor, v. rare.
Also 6
viser.
[f. prec.] 1. refl. To disguise (oneself) with a visor.
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 80 b, In secrete places euery one visered himselfe, so that they were vnknowen. |
2. trans. To cover
up with a visor.
| 1872 Tennyson Gareth & Lynette 1012 The Sun..vizoring up a red And cipher face of rounded foolishness. |