Visibly

adv. Forms: 4–5 visibely, 5 visibilly, 5–6 vysybly, 6 visybly, 5– visibly (7 vissiblie); also 5 visablelyche. [f. prec. + -LY².]

  1.  In a visible manner († or form); so as to be visible to the eye or sight.

  Passing insensibly into next.

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 522. Þat same body and blood invisibily, and not þe same visibely.

c. 1400.  Maundev. (Roxb.), xvii. 79. Þai growe ilk a ȝere visibilly, so þat þe smale waxez grete.

c. 1420.  Chron. Vilod., 2141. As þus visablelyche to hurre modur he dude aper.

1484.  Caxton, Fables of Alfonce, xii. The goddesse Venus vysybly shewed her self to me.

1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 124 b. Somtyme as it were an aungell of lyght, somtyme visybly, somtyme fantastically.

1591.  Shaks., Two Gent., II. vii. 4. The Table wherein all my thoughts are visibly Character’d and engrau’d.

1612.  W. Colson, Gen. Tresury, Advt. A iij b. The other faults escaped in printing, or figures not visibly printed are … corrected with the pen.

1617.  J. Taylor (Water P.), Observ. & Trav. fr. London to Hamburgh, Wks. (1630), III. 87/2. If it were possible that the hand of mortall men … could visibly set forth the magnificent glory of the immortal Creator.

1736.  Butler, Anal., I. vii. Wks. 1874, I. 145. A moral scheme of government then is visibly established.

1781.  Cowper, Truth, 390. Solyma’s interior shrine, Where … Dwelt visibly the light-creating God.

1817.  Shelley, Rev. Islam, XII. xxxiii. 6. Down that mighty stream … The boat fled visibly—three nights and days.

1825.  Scott, Betrothed, vi. The mouth visibly arranged itself into a smile of inexpressible sweetness.

1857.  W. K. Loftus, Trav. Chaldæa & Susiana, 270. Traces of which were still visibly adhering to many of the tablets.

  2.  So as to be clearly evident, manifest or perceptible; to an extent which can be (readily) seen or observed; evidently, plainly; manifestly, obviously.

1631.  Gouge, God’s Arrows, III. § 81. 337. God hath oft visibly shewed himselfe by extraordinary meanes to fight for his.

1647.  Clarendon, Hist. Reb., I. § 9. The Envy … was visibly the cause of the Murther.

1690.  Locke, Hum. Und., I. iii. 17. God, having … made the Practice thereof, visibly beneficial to all, with whom the vertuous Man has to do.

1713.  Berkeley, Hylas & Phil., I. Wks. 1871, I. 282. It being too visibly absurd to hold that pain or pleasure can be in an unperceiving Substance.

1719.  De Foe, Crusoe, I. (Globe), 278. I saw my Deliverance indeed visibly put into my Hands.

1839.  G. P. R. James, Louis XIV., III. 308. A war which had been visibly overhanging them for more than two years.

1856.  Froude, Hist. Eng. (1858), I. v. 400. The cardinals were visibly afraid of the position which had been taken by the French king.

1885.  ‘Mrs. Alexander,’ At Bay, iv. Lambert was visibly relieved, and his daughter reflected her father’s mood.

  † 3.  By actual sight. Obs.^–1

1600.  E. Blount, trans. Conestaggio, 314. He cast anchor at Saint Sebastian, beginning visiblie to finde, that the Iland was no lesse fortified then had beene described vnto them.