'always-visible' is a compound of the adverb 'always' and the adjective 'visible'. 'always' comes from Old English 'ealne weg' meaning 'all the way' (constantly), and 'visible' comes from Latin 'vidēre' via Late Latin 'vīsible' meaning 'able to be seen'.

'always' developed from Old English 'ealne weg' and Middle English 'alwey(s)', while 'visible' came into English from Old French and Late Latin 'vīsible'; the two words were later combined in Modern English to form the descriptive compound 'always-visible'.

Initially, 'always' meant 'all the way' or 'entirely' and 'visible' meant 'able to be seen'; combined as 'always-visible' the phrase now specifically denotes something that remains visible at all times (continuous visibility).