observatory

American  

[uhb-zur-vuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / əbˈzɜr vəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

noun

observatories plural

1. 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.

2. an institution that controls or carries on the work of such a place.

3. a place or structure that provides an extensive view; lookout.

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observatory British  

/ -trɪ, əbˈzɜːvətərɪ /

noun

1. an institution or building specially designed and equipped for observing meteorological and astronomical phenomena

2. any building or structure providing an extensive view of its surroundings

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• observatories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of observatory

1670–80; < Latin observā ( re ) to observe + -tory ²

Explanation

An observatory is a structure that holds a large telescope for observing the stars and planets or some celestial event. If you want to check out a lunar eclipse, then head to your nearest observatory. Observatories for examining the distant sky are typically located far from large cities, since light pollution makes it more difficult to see celestial bodies like stars and planets, or events like meteor showers. Another kind of observatory is quite simply a very tall, often skinny building meant for looking down over a city or its coastline. Observatory comes from the verb observe, or "watch," which in turn is rooted in the Latin observare, "watch over or guard."

Example Sentences

To test whether this relationship extends beyond our cosmic neighborhood, researchers used the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawai'i, to study a large sample of distant giant worlds.

From Science Daily • Jun. 13, 2026

Peter Walsh from the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford told BBC Verify one backlog was being shifted to another.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

On April 10, 2017, when the United Bid was officially announced, it was done from the 102nd floor of New York’s One World Observatory, the tallest building on the continent.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026

"The recession risk is fairly high," said Mathieu Plane, director of the French Economic Observatory, calling the GDP reading "worrying".

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

In 1919, now aged thirty, he moved to California and took up a position at the Mount Wilson Observatory near Los Angeles.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson