Video Is Latin for I See
Video is the recording of moving images. The word is a Latin verb form, and audio is its exact counterpart.
Video is the recording and display of moving visual images. The word is a complete Latin sentence: *video* means I see, the first person of *videre*. Its partner *audio* means I hear, from *audire*. Engineers of the 1930s picked the two verbs deliberately, and the pair has organised media vocabulary ever since. The same *videre* gives *vision*, *evident*, *provide* and *supervise* — literally to oversee.
- Moving image recording. *A video file.*
- Audio — the counterpart. *Audio.*
- Video game. *A video game.*
- Latin — *video*, I see. *The source.*
- Videre — to see. *The verb.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | video | A video. |
| Plural | videos | Videos. |
| Verb | video | Videoed. |
| Counterpart | audio | Audio. |
| Latin | videre | To see. |
- He posted the video online.Media.
- Video means I see.Latin.
- Audio means I hear.Counterpart.
The videre family
- Video — I see
- Vision — the faculty of seeing
- Evident — plainly visible
- Provide — to see ahead and prepare
- Supervise — to oversee
Latin *video*, I see, the first person singular of *videre*, to see, on the model of *audio*.
What does video literally mean?
I see. It is the first person singular of the Latin verb videre, chosen to pair with audio, I hear.
Is provide related?
Yes. It comes from Latin providere, to see ahead, and so to make arrangements in advance.