Where does “surveil” come from?
surveil (English) comes from English surveillance, from French surveillance, from French surveiller, from Old French surveillier, from Old French veillier, from Vulgar Latin viglare, from Latin vigilō, from Latin vigil — lively, awake; strong.
surveil (English): To keep someone or something under surveillance
Definitions
- To keep someone or something under surveillance
Ancestry of “surveil”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | surveillance | Close observation of an individual or group;... |
| 2 | French | surveillance | surveillance; supervision |
| 3 | French | surveiller | to monitor, to survey, to watch |
| 4 | Old French | surveillier | to keep watch over |
| 5 | Old French | veillier | to be awake |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | viglare | — |
| 7 | Latin | vigilō | — |
| 8 | Latin | vigil | awake, watching, alert; watchman, guard,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵ- | lively, awake; strong |
Words derived from “surveil”