visibility

[viz-uh-bil-i-tee]

noun

the state or fact of being visible.

the relative ability to be seen under given conditions of distance, light, atmosphere, etc.: low visibility due to fog.

Also called visual range. Meteorology. the distance at which a given standard object can be seen and identified with the unaided eye.

the ability to give a relatively large range of unobstructed vision: a windshield with good visibility.

Typography. legibility(def 2).

Origin of visibility

1575–85; < Late Latin vīsibilitās, equivalent to Latin vīsibili(s) visible + -tās -ty²

Related formsin·ter·vis·i·bil·i·ty, nounnon·vis·i·bil·i·ty, noun, plural non·vis·i·bil·i·ties.pre·vis·i·bil·i·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for intervisibility

visibility

noun

the condition or fact of being visible

clarity of vision or relative possibility of seeing

the range of visionvisibility is 500 yards

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for intervisibility

visibility

c.1400, "condition of being visible," from Late Latin visibilitas (see visible). Meaning "range of vision under given conditions" is from 1914. Sense of "prominence, fame, public attention" is recorded from 1958.