English Online Dictionary. What means observe? What does observe mean?
English
Etymology
From Middle French observer, from Old French [Term?], from Latin observare (“to watch, note, mark, heed, guard, keep, pay attention to, regard, comply with, etc.”), from ob (“before”) + servare (“to keep”), from Proto-Indo-European *serw- (“to guard”). Cognate with Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐍂𐍅𐌰 (sarwa, “weapons, armour”), Old English searu (“device, design, contrivance, art, cunning, craft, artifice, wile, deceit, stratagem, ambush, treachery, plot, trick, snare, ambuscade, cleverness, machine, engine, fabric, armor, equipment, arms”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əbˈzɜːv/, (rare) /ɒbˈzɜːv/
- (General American, Canada) enPR: əb-zûrvʹ, IPA(key): /əbˈzɝv/
- Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)v
- Hyphenation: ob‧serve
Verb
observe (third-person singular simple present observes, present participle observing, simple past and past participle observed)
- (transitive) To notice or view, especially carefully or with attention to detail.
- (transitive) To follow or obey the custom, practice, or rules (especially of a religion).
- (transitive) To take note of and celebrate (a holiday or similar occurrence), to keep; to follow (a type of time or calendar reckoning).
- 2020 (March 7), Jackie Dunham, "Daylight time: How to get enough sleep when the clocks spring forward, CTV News:
- On Sunday, most of Canada will observe daylight time and spring forward an hour in order to reflect the increasing sunlight.
- (intransitive) To comment on something; to make an observation.
Synonyms
- (follow a custom): celebrate
Derived terms
Translations
Further reading
- “observe”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “observe”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Noun
observe (plural observes)
- (archaic) An observation (remark, comment or judgement).
Anagrams
- obverse, verbose
French
Pronunciation
Verb
observe
- inflection of observer:
- first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
- second-person singular imperative
Portuguese
Verb
observe
- inflection of observar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [obˈserve]
Verb
observe
- third-person singular/plural present subjunctive of observa
Spanish
Verb
observe
- inflection of observar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative