Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “observation” come from?

Observation comes from Middle French observacion, derived from Middle English observacion, ultimately from Latin observātiō meaning the act of watching or noting.

observation (English): The act of observing, and the fact of being...

Definitions

  1. The act of observing, and the fact of being...

Ancestry of “observation”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchobservationobservation
2Latinobservatiowatching, observing; observation, attention;...
3LatinobservoI observe, watch; I guard, keep watch over; I...
4Latinob-towards; against
5Latinobolusobolus
6Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
7Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
8Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
9Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos—
10Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing

Words derived from “observation”

  • observational
  • observationally
  • postobservation
  • preobservation
  • nonobservation
  • observationality
  • malobservation
  • nonobservational
  • observationalist
  • reobservation
  • misobservation
  • multiobservation
  • multiobservational
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- →