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observation

 - 4 dictionary results

ob⋅ser⋅va⋅tion

  [ob-zur-vey-shuhn]
Use observation in a Sentence
–noun
1. an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.
2. an act or instance of regarding attentively or watching.
3. the faculty or habit of observing or noticing.
4. notice: to escape a person's observation.
5. an act or instance of viewing or noting a fact or occurrence for some scientific or other special purpose: the observation of blood pressure under stress.
6. the information or record secured by such an act.
7. something that is learned in the course of observing things: My observation is that such clouds mean a storm.
8. a remark, comment, or statement based on what one has noticed or observed.
9. the condition of being observed.
10. Navigation.
a. the measurement of the altitude or azimuth of a heavenly body for navigational purposes.
b. the information obtained by such a measurement.
11. Obsolete. observance, as of the law.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L observātiōn- (s. of observātiō), equiv. to observāt(us) (ptp. of observāre to observe ) + -iōn- -ion

Synonyms:
3. attention. 8. pronouncement, opinion. See remark.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To observation
ob·ser·va·tion   (ŏb'zər-vā'shən)   
n.  

    1. The act or faculty of observing.

    2. The fact of being observed.

    3. The act of noting and recording something, such as a phenomenon, with instruments.

    4. The result or record of such notation: a meteorological observation.

    1. The act of noting and recording something, such as a phenomenon, with instruments.

    2. The result or record of such notation: a meteorological observation.

  3. A comment or remark. See Synonyms at comment.

  4. An inference or a judgment that is acquired from or based on observing.

ob'ser·va'tion·al adj., ob'ser·va'tion·al·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

observation 
1382, from L. observationem (nom. observatio) "a watching over," from observatus, pp. of observare (see observe). Meaning "a remark in reference to something observed" first recorded 1593.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ob·ser·va·tion
Pronunciation: "äb-s&r-'vA-sh&n, -z&r-
Function: noun
1 : the noting of a fact oroccurrence (as in nature) often involving the measurement of some magnitude with suitable instruments observations>; also : a record so obtained
2 : close watch or examination (as to monitor or diagnose a condition) observation> observation>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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