observe

Everyday

1. To observe is to watch something carefully to learn about it. tree →
2. To observe can mean to notice or see something. tree →
3. (formal) To observe a rule or law is to obey it. tree →
4. (formal) To observe a special day is to keep or celebrate it. tree →
5. (formal) To observe can mean to say or remark. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons pupils observe an experiment, plants or the weather and write what they notice; an observation is what you see or measure. In everyday life we observe birds, the night sky or how people behave. In formal language one observes a minute's silence or observes the speed limit. Phrases: observe closely, observe the rules.

Examples

• We observed the caterpillar every day for two weeks. tree →
• Observe what happens when you add vinegar to the baking soda. tree →
• Did you observe anything strange? tree →
• Drivers must observe the speed limit near schools. tree →
• The whole school observed a minute's silence. tree →
• «It looks like rain,» she observed. tree →
• Astronomers observe the stars through telescopes. tree →
• Write down everything you observe in your science book. tree →
• The lamp burnt out, but he did not observe it. tree →

Note

Regular verb: observed, observing. Noun forms: observation (what you notice), observer (the person watching), observatory (a building for watching the sky). «Observe» is more careful than «see» or «look»: it means watching with attention. Do not confuse with «obey»; only in the formal sense do they mean the same.

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah, to observe is to keep and follow a law or special day, such as the Sabbath, carefully.

Interpretation. "Observe" (shamor) is paired with "remember" (zachor) for the Sabbath. Tradition reads these as the two sides of keeping it: guarding it by avoiding forbidden work, and marking it with words and joy.

Examples

• Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee. (Torah DEU.5.12, JPS 1917) tree →
• And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. (Torah EXO.12.24, JPS 1917) tree →
• And ye shall observe all My statutes, and all Mine ordinances, and do them: I am the LORD. (Torah LEV.19.37, JPS 1917) tree →
• That they might keep His statutes, and observe His laws. (Writings PSA.105.45, JPS 1917) tree →
• Oh that my ways were directed to observe Thy statutes! (Writings PSA.119.5, JPS 1917) tree →
• I will observe Thy statutes; O forsake me not utterly. (Writings PSA.119.8, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Regular verb: observed, observing. Noun forms: observation (what you notice), observer (the person watching), observatory (a building for watching the sky). «Observe» is more careful than «see» or «look»: it means watching with attention. Do not confuse with «obey»; only in the formal sense do they mean the same.

Early Modern English

Meaning

In the Torah it means keep or obey (a day or rule); in the fairy tales it can mean watch or notice. tree →

Then and now

Today it mostly means watch carefully; the sense "keep or obey" is old, and the sentences use it that way for the Sabbath and ordinances.

Examples

• Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee. (Torah DEU.5.12, JPS 1917) tree →
• The good child undresses, but observe this! (The Red Fairy Book) tree →
• And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. (Torah EXO.12.24, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Today: keep; obey, watch.