1. 1. The act or faculty of observing.
   2. The fact of being observed.
2. 1. The act of noting and recording something, such as a phenomenon, with instruments.
   2. The result or record of such notation: a meteorological observation.
3. A comment or remark. See synonyms at comment.
4. An inference or a judgment that is acquired from or based on observing.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.