observatory
[uh b-zur-vuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]
noun, plural ob·serv·a·to·ries.
a place or building equipped and used for making observations of astronomical, meteorological, or other natural phenomena, especially a place equipped with a powerful telescope for observing the planets and stars.
an institution that controls or carries on the work of such a place.
a place or structure that provides an extensive view; lookout.
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Nearby words
- observation,
- observation car,
- observation post,
- observational,
- observative,
- observe,
- observedly,
- observer,
- obsess,
- obsessed
Origin of observatory
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for observatory
observatory
noun plural -ries
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
observatory
"building for observing astronomical phenomena," 1670s (in reference to Greenwich), from French observatoire, from observer (v.); see observe.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper