Observe

How to spell observe

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce observe

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does observe mean?

1. verbTo watch something carefully or to notice a fact through attention.
2. verbTo make a remark or state something one has noticed.
3. verbTo follow, keep, or act in accordance with a rule, law, or custom.

Observe in a sentence

• The researchers paused to observe how the patients reacted to the new dosage.

• The manager paused to observe that the figures had improved every quarter.

• All visitors must observe the safety rules posted at the entrance.

• From the back of the room you can observe the whole demonstration.

• She went on to observe that the new schedule suited the night staff better.

• The family chose to observe the holiday quietly at home this year.

Where does observe come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin observare, which meant 'to watch over', 'to attend to', or 'to guard'. It was built from the prefix ob-, here carrying the sense of 'towards' or 'over', and the verb servare, meaning 'to keep, watch, or guard'. The same servare root sits inside 'conserve', 'preserve', and 'reserve', all of which share the idea of keeping or holding something safe. English took the word in during the 1300s by way of Old French observer, first with the meaning of keeping or complying with a rule or custom, and only later broadening to the modern sense of watching closely and noticing. Remembering that buried serv (the 'keep and watch' root) helps fix the spelling, since the trap is the unstressed first syllable that sounds like a vague 'ob'.

How the word is built

• ob- (towards, over)
• serv (to watch, keep, guard)
• -e