English
invisible
Invisible comes from Late Latin invīsibilis, from Latin vīsibilis ‘that may be seen, visible’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-1‘to see’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*widéh₁yeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*widēō1‘to see’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideō1‘see’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvīsibilis2‘that may be seen, visible’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEinvīsibilis3
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400invisible3
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500invisible3
- Englishearliest quotation 1667invisible3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin visibilis
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin invisibilis
- 3 Wiktionary, English invisible
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Milton, Book V: “Unſpeakable, who ſitſt above theſe Heavens / To us…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-Wiktionary, Latin visibilis‘to see’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*widéh₁yetiWiktionary, Latin visibilisreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*widēōWiktionary, Latin visibilis‘to see’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideōWiktionary, Latin visibilis‘see’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvīsibilisWiktionary, Latin invisibilis‘that may be seen, visible’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEinvīsibilisWiktionary, English invisible
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400invisibleWiktionary, English invisible
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500invisibleWiktionary, English invisible
- Englishearliest quotation 1667invisibleWiktionary, English invisible. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Milton, Book V: “Unſpeakable, who ſitſt above theſe Heavens / To us…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’
story, guy, idea, guide, advice, witness, historic, wise, wisdom, wit, idol, wizard, historian, advise, witty, steroid, guise, tabloid, revue, druid, visitation, envious, twit, improvise, hypothyroidism, envision, avis, idyll, witter, parathyroid, trapezoid, hyoid, hyperthyroidism, colloid, weet, thyroxine, sigmoid, thyroiditis, visite, 91 more
through Proto-Indo-European *widéh₁yeti
through Proto-Italic *widēō ‘to see’
provision, providence, revision, prudential, jurisprudence, provident, vada, evidential, 15 more
through Latin videō ‘see’
video, evidence, provide, review, interview, visit, vision, evident, visa, prudent, vista, revise, prudence, vide, purview, voyeur, purveyor, proviso, invidious, 18 more
through Latin vīsibilis ‘that may be seen, visible’
Today it means
adj Unable to be seen; out of sight; not visible.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “invisible”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin visibilis, Latin invisibilis. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyd- / invisible