Wordwyrt

observe

/əbˈzɜːv/uhb-ZURV
/əbˈzɝv/uhb-ZURV

Meaningto watch over

Common meaning: to watch closely

Other meanings: to keep a rule

‘towards, against, in the way’ + ‘to keep safe, watch over’ → observe

Journey through time

  1. Latinservō, servāre, servāvī, servātum‘to keep safe, watch over’
  2. Old Frenchobserversource
  3. Middle Englishobseruensource
  4. Englishobserve‘to watch closely’ · today

ob- also in: obeseobligeobviousobfuscateobliterate

serv also in: reservoir

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin servō ‘to keep safe, watch over’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry servō, p. 1682 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

reservoir

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