observe

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)

1. (transitive) To notice or view, especially carefully or with attention to detail.
2. (transitive) To follow or obey the custom, practice, or rules (especially of a religion).
3. (transitive) To take note of and celebrate (a holiday or similar occurrence); to follow (a type of time or calendar reckoning).

   • Ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread.

   • 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.

4. (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)

1. (archaic) An observation (remark, comment or judgement).

Anagrams

• obverse, verbose

French

Pronunciation

Verb

observe

1. inflection of observer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Portuguese

Verb

observe

1. inflection of observar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [obˈserve]

Verb

observe

1. third-person singular/plural present subjunctive of observa

Spanish

Verb

observe

1. inflection of observar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative