From Middle French observer, from Old French observer, from Latin observō, from ob- ("before") + servō ("to keep"), from Proto-Indo-European *ser-.

• (RP) IPA: /əbˈzɜːv/, /ɒbˈzɜːv/
• (America, Canada) enPR: əb-zûrvʹ, IPA: /əbˈzɝv/

observe (observes, present participle observing; simple past and past participle observed)

1. (transitive) To notice or view, especially carefully or with attention to detail.

   From this vantage point we can observe the behavior of the animals in their natural habitat.

   She got up before dawn to observe the lunar eclipse.

   • 1892, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb:

     “One horse?” interjected Holmes. ¶ “Yes, only one.” ¶ “Did you observe the colour?”

2. (transitive) To follow or obey the custom, practice, or rules (especially of a religion).

   Please observe all posted speed limits.

3. (transitive) To take note of and celebrate (a holiday or similar occurrence), to keep; to follow (a type of time or calendar reckoning).
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Exodus 12:17 ↗:

     Ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread.

   • 2020 (March 7), Jackie Dunham, "Daylight time: How to get enough sleep when the clocks spring forward ↗, CTV News:

     On Sunday, most of Canada will observe daylight time and spring forward an hour in order to reflect the increasing sunlight.

4. (intransitive) To comment on something; to make an observation.

   The senator observed that the bill would be detrimental to his constituents.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC ↗:

     Elbows almost touching they leaned at ease, idly reading the almost obliterated lines engraved there. ¶ "I never understood it," she observed, lightly scornful. "What occult meaning has a sun-dial for the spooney? I'm sure I don't want to read riddles in a strange gentleman's optics."

• (follow a custom) celebrate

• French: observer, remarquer
• German: beobachten
• Italian: osservare
• Portuguese: observar, ver, verificar, olhar, reparar
• Russian: наблюда́ть
• Spanish: observar

• French: respecter, observer, garder
• German: beachten, halten
• Italian: osservare
• Portuguese: seguir, acompanhar, ter em conta, cumprir, respeitar
• Russian: соблюда́ть
• Spanish: seguir, tomar en cuenta

• German: bemerken
• Italian: osservare
• Portuguese: observar, comentar, apontar
• Russian: отмеча́ть

observe (plural observes)

1. (archaic) An observation remark, comment or judgement.
   • 1886 May 1 – July 31, Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped, being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: […], London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 1886, →OCLC ↗:

     “It sticks in my mind that he would take it very ill,” says Alan. “But the little man cried to me to run, and indeed I thought it was a good observe, and ran. The last that I saw they were all in a knot upon the beach, like folk that were not agreeing very well together.”