observatory

[ uhb-zur-vuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]
See synonyms for observatory on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural ob·serv·a·to·ries.
  1. a place or building equipped and used for making observations of astronomical, meteorological, or other natural phenomena, especially a place equipped with a powerful telescope for observing the planets and stars.

  2. an institution that controls or carries on the work of such a place.

  1. a place or structure that provides an extensive view; lookout.

Origin of observatory

1
1670–80; <Latin observā(re) to observe + -tory2

Words Nearby observatory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use observatory in a sentence

  • Captain Vane came from the observatory, his face blazing with excitement and oily with heat, to announce the fact.

    The Giant of the North | R.M. Ballantyne
  • Sometimes the Time observatory would pinpoint an age and hover over it while his companions took painstaking historical notes.

    The Man from Time | Frank Belknap Long
  • The iris of the human eye dilates and contracts with every shift of illumination, and the Time observatory had an iris too.

    The Man from Time | Frank Belknap Long
  • He remained on his feet just long enough to see his Time observatory dim and vanish.

    The Man from Time | Frank Belknap Long
  • Ascending into the Time observatory a thought came unbidden into his mind: Others he saved, himself he could not save.

    The Man from Time | Frank Belknap Long

British Dictionary definitions for observatory

observatory

/ (əbˈzɜːvətərɪ, -trɪ) /


nounplural -ries
  1. an institution or building specially designed and equipped for observing meteorological and astronomical phenomena

  2. any building or structure providing an extensive view of its surroundings

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012