surveillance

US /sɚˈveɪ.ləns/ UK /səˈveɪ.ləns/ See IPA manual

Freq #3157

Meanings

1

noun
The careful watching of a person, group, or place, especially to prevent or detect crime.

The suspect was kept under police surveillance for weeks.
2

noun
The ongoing monitoring of something, such as the spread of a disease.

Health authorities increased surveillance during the outbreak.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms surveillances

Derived forms antisurveillancebiosurveillancecountersurveillancecybersurveillancee-surveillancegeosurveillanceimmunosurveillanceoversurveillancere-surveillanceserosurveillanceuberveillance

Related forms lookout shadowingsousveillancestakeoutsurveiltailingwiretapping

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

electronic surveillance
monitoring people or places using electronic equipment

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Surveillance entered English in the early 19th century from the same historical root as vigil, ultimately connected with Latin vigil, “awake.” Its literal sense is the act of watching over something.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French surveillance (“a watching over, overseeing, supervision”), from surveiller (“to watch, oversee”), from sur- (“over”) + veiller (“to watch”), from Middle French, from Old French veillier (“to stay awake”), from Latin vigilāre (“to be watchful”). More at vigilant.

surveillance French vigilō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# surveillance

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /sɚˈveɪ.ləns/
**IPA (UK):** /səˈveɪ.ləns/
**Frequency rank:** 3157

## Meanings
1. The careful watching of a person, group, or place, especially to prevent or detect crime.
2. The ongoing monitoring of something, such as the spread of a disease.

## Examples
- The suspect was kept under police surveillance for weeks.
- Health authorities increased surveillance during the outbreak.

## Derived Forms
- antisurveillance
- biosurveillance
- countersurveillance
- cybersurveillance
- e-surveillance
- geosurveillance
- immunosurveillance
- oversurveillance
- re-surveillance
- serosurveillance
- uberveillance

## Related Forms
- lookout
- shadowing
- sousveillance
- stakeout
- surveil
- tailing
- wiretapping

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: surveillance
- Root: vigilō

## Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French surveillance (“a watching over, overseeing, supervision”), from surveiller (“to watch, oversee”), from sur- (“over”) + veiller (“to watch”), from Middle French, from Old French veillier (“to stay awake”), from Latin vigilāre (“to be watchful”). More at vigilant.

## AI Etymology
Surveillance Unadapted borrowing from French surveillance (“a watching over, overseeing, supervision”), from surveiller (“to watch, oversee”), from sur- (“over”) + veiller (“to watch”), from Middle French, from Old French veillier (“to stay awake”), from Latin vigilāre (“to be watchful”). In present-day use, it can mean the careful watching of a person, group, or place, especially to prevent or detect crime, or the ongoing monitoring of something, such as the spread of a disease.

## Topics
- People & Society

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