Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Visitation has 5 different meanings across 2 categories:
an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event
"his mother-in-law's visits were a great trial for him"
"life is full of tribulations"
"a visitation of the plague"
an official visit for inspection or supervision
"the commissioner made visitations to all the precinct stations"
"the recent visitation of the bishop to his diocese"
The act of visiting, or an instance of being visited.
"The annual visitation by the tourists brought life back to the quiet village."
In plain English: Visitation is when someone goes to see another person who lives somewhere else, often because they are separated by distance or rules.
"The hospital received several visits from her family during that week, but the official visitation policy was strict about visitor times."
Usage: This term often refers specifically to scheduled visits by relatives in correctional facilities rather than casual social calls. It should generally be avoided when describing informal drop-ins where "visit" is more natural.
The visit of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth; the commemoration of this on 30 May in Eastern Christianity or 31 May in Western Christianity.
"The feast day marked by a solemn procession celebrates the Visitation, commemorating when the Virgin Mary traveled to see her cousin Elizabeth."
The word comes from the Latin vīsitatīō, meaning "an act of visiting." It entered English through Anglo-Norman and Old French as a formal term for paying a visit or making an official call.