observation

B1 Topic:Senses & Perception

US /ˌɑbzɚˈveɪʃn̩/ UK /ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃn̩/ See IPA manual

Freq #6258

Meanings

1

noun
The act of watching someone or something carefully.

The patient was kept under observation overnight.
2

noun
A remark or comment about something you have noticed.

She made an interesting observation about the painting.
3

noun
Something you learn or notice by watching carefully.

The scientist recorded her observations in a notebook.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the act of watching someone... observance watching sighting

Word family

Forms observations

Derived forms counterobservationinobservationmalobservationmisobservationmultiobservationnonobservationobservationalpostobservationpreobservationreobservation

Related forms observance observant observatory observe observer

Etymology

From Middle English observacion, borrowed from Middle French observacion. Also a borrowing from French observation and a learned borrowing from Latin observātiō(n-). Morphologically observe + -ation.

observacion Middle English observation French

View etymology graph ->

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# observation

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌɑbzɚˈveɪʃn̩/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃn̩/
**Frequency rank:** 6258

## Meanings
1. The act of watching someone or something carefully.
2. A remark or comment about something you have noticed.
3. Something you learn or notice by watching carefully.

## Examples
- The patient was kept under observation overnight.
- She made an interesting observation about the painting.
- The scientist recorded her observations in a notebook.

## Derived Forms
- counterobservation
- inobservation
- malobservation
- misobservation
- multiobservation
- nonobservation
- observational
- postobservation
- preobservation
- reobservation

## Related Forms
- observance
- observant
- observatory
- observe
- observer

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: observacion
- Root: observation

## Etymology
From Middle English observacion, borrowed from Middle French observacion. Also a borrowing from French observation and a learned borrowing from Latin observātiō(n-). Morphologically observe + -ation.

## AI Etymology
Observation comes from Middle English observacion, borrowed from Middle French observacion. Also a borrowing from French observation and a learned borrowing from Latin observātiō(n-). Morphologically observe + -ation. Modern senses include the act of watching someone or something carefully and a remark or comment about something you have noticed. The wider word family includes derivatives such as counterobservation, inobservation, malobservation, misobservation, multiobservation, and nonobservation and related forms such as observance, observant, observatory, and observe.

## Topics
- Senses & Perception

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observation

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