Envisagion

Envisagion is a rarely used English noun that denotes the act or result of envisaging something, particularly the formation of a mental image of future possibilities or states. It is generally considered archaic or literary, with modern usage more commonly favoring envisagement or envisioning.

Etymology and relation to related terms: The word is built from envisage with the suffix -ion. It has cognates in Romance languages through the French origin of envisage. The earliest attestations in English appear in earlier centuries, and some dictionaries treat envisagion as a variant spelling or a synonym of envisagement.

Usage and context: In historical or literary contexts, envisagion may appear when discussing speculative forecasting or imaginative projection. In philosophy, cognitive science, or futurist planning, the broader idea is often described using terms like envisioning, envisagement, or forecast rather than the specific noun envisagion. Because of its rarity, contemporary writers typically replace envisagion with more common equivalents to avoid ambiguity.

See also: envisage, envisagement, envisioning, forecast, projection.

Notes: Envisagion’s scarcity in modern English means it is mainly encountered in older texts or in discussions about stylistic variants of envisaging. For most practical purposes, envisagement or envisioning serves as the preferred term.