Visually

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈvɪzju.əli/

Definitions

1. Relating to or perceived through the sense of sight
2. In a manner that involves seeing or the use of the eyes
3. Through the process of observation with the eyes

Etymology: "Visually" is a plain formation: the adjective "visual" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" added to it. The suffix itself has a long pedigree, descending from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "body" or "form," which in Old English became "-līċe," used to turn adjectives into adverbs describing the manner of an action. The adjective "visual" is the more interesting half. It traces back through the Latin "visualis" to "visus," meaning "a seeing" or "sight," from the verb "videre," "to see." That same Latin root gives English "vision," "video," and "visit" and, in a more distant way, "wise," which shares the Indo-European root *weid-, "to see" or "to know." Middle English gave the suffix its modern form "-ly," and the word "visually" follows the familiar pattern of describing something done through the eyes, as in "visually impaired."

Synonyms: sightfully