A visor (also spelled vizor) is a surface that protects the eyes, such as shading them from the sun or other bright light or protecting them from objects. Nowadays many visors are transparent, but before strong transparent substances such as

polycarbonate Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate ester, carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, toughness, tough materials, and some grades are optically transp ...

were invented, visors were opaque like a mask. * The part of a helmet in a suit of armor that protects the eyes. *A type of

headgear Headgear, headwear, or headdress is any element of clothing which is worn on one's Human head, head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protective clothing, protection against t ...

consisting only of a visor and a band as a way to fasten it around the head. *Any such vertical surface on any hat or helmet. *Any such horizontal surface on any hat or helmet (called a '' peak'' in

British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

). *A device in an

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

that the driver or front passenger can lower over part of the windshield to block the sun ( sun visor). *As masque costume, Henry VIII and his courtiers wore "visors of good proportion of physiognomy".Richard P. Sylvester and Davis P. Harding, ''Two Earl Tudor Lives: Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey'' (Yale, 1962), p. 27.

Modern era

Some modern devices called visors are similar, for example: * Visor (ice hockey) Types of modern transparent visors include: *The transparent or semi-transparent front part of a motorcycle helmet or riot helmet (sometimes shaded/tinted) * The transparent or semi-transparent, heavily shaded/tinted, front part of a welding mask *Safety face shields used in construction, industry, or medical settings *An eyeshield to protect the eyes from sunlight on an American football helmet *A shield to protect the eyes from sunlight on a flight helmet or space suit * Green eyeshades, formerly worn by accountants and others engaged in vision-intensive, detail-oriented occupation.

References

{{Hats Hats Riot control equipment Safety clothing

Modern era

See also

References