English → Latin
“invisible” in Latin
The English word invisible itself goes back to Latin videō, through invīsibilis.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
invisible
invisibilis, or nulli cernendus, or quod cernere et videre non possumus: quem (quam, quod) non possunt oculi consequi (that one cannot see: invisibilis, found as early as Cels., praef., p. 121, ed. Bip., may be used where conciseness of expression would be injured by circumlocution; especially as Cic., makes use of adjectives in “bilis,” and has even formed some new ones): quod sub oculos non cadit: quod oculorum aciem fugit: quod sensum oculorum effugit (that escapes the eye). An invisible solar eclipse, *defectus solis, quem in his terrae partibus cernere et videre non possumus: the invisible world, *orbis rerum coelestium circumfusus terrestribus visusque nostros fugiens: to behold with the mind’s eye what is invisible, in conspeetu paene animi ponere, quae cernere et videre non possumus: to be invisible, cerni et videri non posse (general term, unable to be seen), sub oculos non cadere: oculorum aciem fugere: oculorum sensum effugere (not to be discernible by the eye): se non aperire (not to rise, of stars), non comparere (not to appear or show itself; of persons, and also of inanimate beings): in conspectum non venire (not to make one’s appearance; of persons only). To become invisible, obscurari (to be eclipsed, of stars): to make one’s self invisible, clam abire: clam se subducere.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for invisible?
- The usual Latin words for “invisible” are invīsibilis, quī. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.