Etymology : Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin visibilis, from visus, past participle of vidEre to see
Pronunciation : vi-z&-b&l
Function : adjective
Date : 14th century
1. can be clearly seen; in view, observable; obvious, apparent. visible\vis"i*ble\ , a. [l. visibilis, fr. videre, visum, to see:
cf. f. visible. see:
vision.].
2. perceivable by the eye; capable of being seen; perceptible; in view; as, a visible star; the least spot is visible on white paper. maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. of com. prayer. virtue made visible in outward grace.
3. noticeable; apparent; open; conspicuous. the factions at court were greater, or more visible, than before.visible church (theol.), the apparent church of christ on earth; the whole body of professed believers in christ, as contradistinguished from the invisible, or real, church, consisting of sanctified persons.visible horizon. same as apparent horizon, under apparent. -- vis"i*ble*ness , n. -- vis"i*bly , adv.visible adj.
4. perceptible especially by the eye; or open to easy view; "a visible object"; "visible stars"; "mountains visible in the distance"; "a visible change of expression"; "visible files" [syn: seeable] [ant: invisible].
5. obvious to the eye; "a visible change of expression" [syn: obvious].
6. being often in the public eye; "a visible public figure".
7. present and easily available; "the cash on hand is adequate for current needs"; "emergency police were on hand in case of trouble"; "a visible supply"; "visible resources" [syn: on hand(p) , visible(a) ].
8. Perceivable by the eye; capable of being seen; perceptible; in view; as, a visible star; the least spot is visible on white paper.
9. Noticeable; apparent; open; conspicuous. being often in the public eye; "a visible public figure" perceptible especially by the eye; or open to easy view; "a visible object"; "visible stars"; "mountains visible in the distance"; "a visible change of expression"; "visible files".
10. 1. If something is visible, it can be seen. The warning lights were clearly visible They found a bacterium visible to the human eye.
11. You use visible to describe something or someone that people notice or recognize. The most visible sign of the intensity of the crisis is unemployment He was making a visible effort to control himself + visibly vis·ibly They emerged visibly distressed and weeping.
12. In economics, visible earnings are the money that a country makes as a result of producing goods, rather than from services such as banking and tourism. In the UK visible imports have traditionally been greater than visible exports. ¡Ù invisible.