Where does “visible file” come from?

visible file (English) comes from English visible, from Middle English visible, from Old French visible, from Latin vīsibilis, from Latin -bilis, from Proto-Italic -ðlis, from Proto-Indo-European -dʰlis, from Proto-Indo-European -dʰlom — Alternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;...

visible file (English): A pre-computer filing method in which cards are arranged in shallow drawers so that a portion of each card is always visible, allowing for quick scanning and retrieval; it uses an overlapping design to make the information on each card accessible without needing to pull it out completely

Definitions

  1. A pre-computer filing method in which cards are arranged in shallow drawers so that a portion of each card is always visible, allowing for quick scanning and retrieval; it uses an overlapping design to make the information on each card accessible without needing to pull it out completely

Ancestry of “visible file”, step by step

visible file traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English visible

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishvisibleAble to be seen
2Middle Englishvisible
3Old Frenchvisiblevisible (able to be seen)
4Latinvīsibilisthat may be seen, visible
5Latin-bilis-ble
6Proto-Italic-ðlisForms adjectives from verb stems indicating capacity or worth of being acted on
7Proto-Indo-European-dʰlis
8Proto-Indo-European-dʰlomAlternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;...

via English filé

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfiléA spicy herb made from the dried and ground...
2Frenchfilépast participle of filer; simple or twisted...
3Frenchfilerto spin; to thread through; to spin a thread
4Latinfīlāre
5Latinfīlumthread, string, filament, fiber
6Proto-Italicfī(s)lom
7Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷʰiH-(s-)lo-
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -dʰlom