Final answer:
The visibility timeout in Amazon SQS is the time a message remains invisible in the queue after a consumer starts processing it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The visibility timeout in Amazon SQS refers to the time a message stays invisible in the queue after a consumer starts processing it. This timeout is important for preventing other consumers from receiving and processing the same message while it is already being worked on by another consumer. It is a configurable setting that helps ensure message processing is not duplicated or conflicts occur.