observation
n. C / Un. the act of watching something carefully to learn about it. It can also mean a comment you make about something you have noticed.
n. the act of monitoring or watching something closely to gain information; alternatively, a remark or statement based on something one has seen or heard.
The scientist made a careful observation of the birds.
After a week of close observation, the doctors decided the patient was healthy enough to go home.
The essay concludes with a sharp observation regarding the shift in public sentiment, noting that digital interactions have fundamentally altered how we perceive community.
From Middle English observacion, borrowed from Middle French observacion. Also a borrowing from French observation and a learned borrowing from Latin observātiō(n-). Morphologically observe + -ation.
Uncountable when referring to the general act of watching; countable when referring to a specific remark or a recorded piece of data.