Etymograph

English

visual

Visual comes from Middle English visual, from Late Latin vīsuālis ‘of sight’, from vīsus ‘sight’, from videō ‘to see’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideō‘to see’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvīsus‘seen; sight’
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEvīsuālis‘of sight’
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentvisuel
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500visual
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2013same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvideō‘to see’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvīsus‘seen; sight’
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEvīsuālis‘of sight’
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentvisuel
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500visual
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2013same form

Earliest quotation: 2013, -June, An Acoustic Arms Race: “Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats…”

Equivalent to vīsus + -ual

Linked words

through Latin vīdērunt ‘to see, perceive’

survey, visible, envy, 1 more

through Latin vīsus ‘sight, vision’

advice, vision, advise, improvise, visage, 8 more

Today it means

adj Related to or affecting the vision.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin videō / visual

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