Observation
/ˌɒb.zəˈveɪ.ʃən/noun
The act of watching, noticing, or recording something carefully.
Did you know?Observation entered English through Latin and Old French as a word for “keeping” or “fulfilling” a practice, and its root is the same one behind ideas like guardianship and service.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ser-
“to watch over, protect, or keep”
Latin
Latin
observāre
“to watch, heed, attend to; also to keep, maintain, or comply with”
Late Latin
Latin
observātiō
“a watching, guarding, or keeping”
Old French
Old French
observation
“watching, attention, or compliance with a rule”
14th Century
English
observation
“the act of noticing, watching, or keeping a rule or practice”
Modern English
English
observation
“the careful act of watching, noticing, or recording something”