Visual

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /ˈvɪʒuÉ™l/, /ˈvɪʒwÉ™l/

Alternative forms

• visuall obsolete, rare

Origin

From Old French, from Late Latin visualis ("of sight"), from Latin visus ("sight"), from videre ("to see"), past participle visus; see visage.

Full definition of visual

Adjective

1. Related to or affecting the vision.
• 2013, William E. Conner, An Acoustic Arms Race, Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close...above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them. Many insects probably use this strategy, which is a close analogy to crypsis in the visible world—camouflage and other methods for blending into one’s visual background.
2. (obsolete) That can be seen; visible.

Derived terms

Related terms

Noun

1. Any element of something that depends on sight.
2. An image; a picture; a graphic.
3. (in the plural) All the visual elements of a multi-media presentation or entertainment, usually in contrast with normal text or audio.
4. (advertising) A preliminary sketch.