The Spanish word 'vidente', meaning 'seer' or 'clairvoyant', comes from the Latin present participle 'videns' (meaning 'seeing'), which itself derives from the Latin verb 'videre' meaning 'to see'. The development from a word simply meaning 'seeing' to one meaning 'seer' or 'clairvoyant' reflects a specialization of meaning, where the general act of seeing evolved to refer specifically to supernatural or prophetic vision.

Several common Spanish words share this Latin root 'videre', including: 'ver' (to see), 'vista' (view, sight), 'visible' (visible), and 'visión' (vision). All these words maintain a connection to the basic concept of seeing or vision, though 'vidente' specifically evolved to describe someone with supernatural sight.

Many English words are related to the same Latin root 'videre', including 'video', 'vision', 'visible', 'visual', and 'evidence'. The word 'video' directly comes from Latin 'video' meaning 'I see', while 'evidence' (from Latin 'evidentia') literally means 'that which is obvious to see'. This shows how the basic concept of seeing has branched out into various related meanings in English.