English
visible
Visible comes from Middle English visible, from Old French visible, from Late Latin visibilis ‘that may be seen’, from Latin videō ‘to see’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideō1‘to see’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEvisibilis1‘that may be seen’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400visible1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500visible1
- Englishearliest quotation 1650visible1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English visible
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1650, Thomas Browne, Of the Cameleon: “It cannot be denied it [the chameleon] is (if…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideōWiktionary, English visible‘to see’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEvisibilisWiktionary, English visible‘that may be seen’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400visibleWiktionary, English visible
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500visibleWiktionary, English visible
- Englishearliest quotation 1650visibleWiktionary, English visible. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1650, Thomas Browne, Of the Cameleon: “It cannot be denied it [the chameleon] is (if…”
Linked words
through Latin vīdērunt ‘to see’
through Late Latin visibilis ‘that may be seen’
Today it means
adj Able to be seen.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “visible”. 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 / Latin videō / visible