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Clairvoyant

2 stages from French to English.

Today it means having a supposed ability to perceive things beyond the senses

Where does the word "clairvoyant" come from? It comes from French clair + voyant, adopted directly into English (1670s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
clair + voyant
French · medieval
"clear-sighted"
'clear' plus 'seeing'
2
Stage 2 of 2
clairvoyant
English · 1670s
"psychic"
first meant perceptive; the mesmerism craze of the 1840s gave it the psychic sense
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Clairvoyant’s story begins in French: clair + voyant meant “clear-sighted.” 'clear' plus 'seeing'. It reached English by 1670s as clairvoyant. First meant perceptive; the mesmerism craze of the 1840s gave it the psychic sense. Today, clairvoyant means having a supposed ability to perceive things beyond the senses.