| 释义 |
observation|ɒbzəˈveɪʃən|
Also 4 -cioun, 6 -cion.
[ad. L. observātiōn-em, n. of action f. observāre to observe: cf. F. observation (1200 in Godef. Compl.).]
The action of observing; the fact observed.
1. The action or practice of observing a law, covenant, set day, or anything prescribed or fixed; practical adherence to a custom, usage, or rule: = observance 1. Const. of, † to. Now rare or Obs.
1535Act 27 Hen. VIII, c. 11 §10 This present act..shall..binde euery officer.. to thobservacion thereof. 1551Robinson tr. More's Utop. ii. ix. (1895) 279 Diuinations of vayne superstition, which in other countreys be in greate obseruation. 1581Marbeck Bk. of Notes 254 Affirming that Circumcision was necessarie & the observation of the Lawe. 1656–7Burton's Diary (1828) I. 310 An Act for the better observation of the Lord's day, read the first time. 1782Hist. Eur. in Ann. Reg. 11/2 An inviolable observation of public faith. 1809–10Coleridge Friend (1818) I. 298 The faithful observation of a contract. 1825Macaulay Ess., Milton ⁋5 The observation of the Sabbath.
2. That which is observed or practised: = observance 2.
1382Wyclif Neh. xii. 44 [45] Thei kepten the obseruacioun of their God, and the besinesse of clensing [observationem Dei sui & observationem expiationis]. 1540Act 32 Hen. VIII, c. 26 The laufull rites ceremonies and obseruacions of goddes seruice. 1633Bp. Hall Hard Texts, N.T. 272 Circumcision and the rest of those legal observations. 1656Bramhall Replic. vi. 241 To persist in an old observation when..the end for which the observation was made, calleth upon us for an alteration, is not obedience but obstinacie. a1718Penn Let. to Young Convicted Wks. 1782 I. 76 Will-performances and external observations. 1911W. J. Locke Glory of Clementina Wing xxii. 277 The daily calls to inquire after her health and happiness had grown to be a sacred observation.
†3. Regard, respect, honour; respectful or courteous attention: = observance 3. Obs.
1644Quarles Barnabas & B. (1851) 55 A countenance that is revered breeds fear and observation. 1721Strype Eccl. Mem. I. xlv. 339 They continued in their loving and friendly observation of his Majesty.
†4. Observant care, heed: = observance 4. Obs.
1610Shakes. Temp. iii. iii. 87 So with good life, And obseruation strange, my meaner ministers Their seuerall kindes haue done. 1672–3Sir C. Lyttelton in Hatton Corr. (Camden) 104, I have at this time more than an ordinary observation how I behave myself.
5. a. The action or an act of paying attention, marking, or noticing; the fact of being noticed; notice, remark; perception: = observance 5.
1557N. T. (Genev.) Luke xvii. 20 The kingdome of God commeth not with obseruation. 1588Shakes. L.L.L. iii. i. 28 Brag. How hast thou purchased this experience? Boy By my penne of obseruation. 1646J. Hall Horæ Vac. 46 Some lurking vice, which fled ones owne observation, and had not been hinted by..friends. 1702Eng. Theophrast. 41, I made a thousand observations during this short journey, that fully confirmed me in this Opinion. 1791Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest i, They were..in less danger of observation. 1863Kingsley Lett. (1878) II. 161 The first thing for a boy to learn, after obedience and morality, is a habit of observation.
b. The faculty or habit of observing or taking notice.
1605Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. v. §3 Men of narrow observation. 1627–77Feltham Resolves i. xxviii. 48 He is thought one of too prying an observation. 1860Hawthorne Marb. Faun (ed. Tauchn.) II. viii. 92 The statue had life and observation in it.
c. Inspection of, or attention to, presages or omens; an act of augury or divination. (Now only as in general sense.)
1605Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. xi. §2 [Experimental divination] for the most part is superstitious; such as were the heathen observations upon the inspection of sacrifices, the flight of birds, the swarming of bees. 1620Melton Astrolog. 61 The viperous generation of Negromancy, which are Idolatry, Diuination, and vaine obseruation. 1718Freethinker No. 62 ⁋14 The bare Observation of Omens was not sufficient: It was likewise necessary to Accept them.
d. Mil. The watching of a fortress, of an enemy's movements, etc. army (corps, etc.) of observation, a force employed in watching an army of the enemy, so as to be ready to check their movements.
1836Alison Europe (1849–50) V. xxxi. § 87. 374 No less than thirty thousand being in observation or garrison.
†e. of observation, worthy to be observed; noteworthy, notable. Obs.
a1635Naunton Fragm. Reg. (Arb.) 40 It is of further observation that my Lord of Essex (after Leicester's decease)..loved him not in sincerity. 1665Sir T. Roe's Voy. E. Ind. in G. Havers P. della Valle's Trav. 364 There is one great and fair Tree growing in that Soil, of special observation. 1679Ld. Finch in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 330 The case being of great consequence to the public, and of great observation.
6. a. The action or an act of observing scientifically; esp. the careful watching and noting of a phenomenon in regard to its cause or effect, or of phenomena in regard to their mutual relations, these being observed as they occur in nature (and so opposed to experiment); also, the record of this.
1559W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 161 What be th' observations of this neadle, by whiche you affirme that it doth not exactlye poynte Northe and Southe? 1605Bacon Adv. Learn i. v. §7 Gilbertus our countryman hath made a philosophy out of the observations of a loadstone. 1665Hooke Microgr. Pref. b, The Science of Nature has been already too long made only a work of the..Fancy; It is now high time that it should return to..Observations. 1695Woodward Nat. Hist. Earth i. 1 Observations are the only sure Grounds whereon to build a lasting and substantial Philosophy. 1704Hearne Duct. Hist. (1714) I. 398 Aristotle having requested his Nephew Calisthenes to..send him an account of their earliest Observations, it appear'd..that they amounted no higher than 1903 Years before that time. 1816Playfair Nat. Phil. II. 261 The result of these investigations..agrees nearly with observation. 1843Mill Logic iii. vii. §4 (1856) I. 417 Observation..without experiment.. can ascertain sequences and co⁓existences, but cannot prove causation. 1860Tyndall Glac. i. xvi. 94, I halted, to check the observations already made. 1879Thomson & Tait Nat. Phil. I. 1. §371 Isothermal Lines, Lines of Equal Dip..and a host of other data and phenomena..are thus deducible from Observation merely.
b. spec. The taking of the altitude of the sun (or other heavenly body) by means of an astronomical instrument, in order to find the latitude or longitude; the result obtained.
to work an observation, to ascertain the latitude or longitude by means of calculations based on a measurement of the sun's altitude.
1559W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 136 Longitudes and Latitudes..require longe and diligent observation. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. ii. 82, I have shewed you how to take an Observation by the Fore-Staff. The next thing..will be to shew you how to work your Observation. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. ii. I..learned how to..take an observation. 1882Floyer Unexpl. Baluchistan 396, I got capital observations, both of sun for longitude, and Polaris for latitude.
7. Observed truth or fact: something learned by observing; a rule or maxim gathered from experience. Now rare.
1600Shakes. A.Y.L. ii. vii. 41 In his braine..He hath strange places cram'd With obseruation, the which he vents In mangled formes. 1604E. G[rimstone] tr. D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iii. iv. 131 The Mariners hold it for a certaine rule and observation, that within the Tropickes continually raine Easterly windes. 1719Swift To a Young Clergyman, There is one observation, which I never knew to fail. 1793C. Marshall Garden. xviii. (1813) 112 It may prove an observation of some use, that trees and shrubs raised from seed grow the largest.
8. An utterance as to something observed; a remark in speech or writing in reference to something.
1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. vi. 108 Tut, that's a foolish obseruation. 1605Bacon Adv. Learn ii. ii. §2 A scattered history of those actions..with politic discourse and observation thereupon. 1790Paley Horæ Paul. Rom. i. 8 The first passage..upon which a good deal of observation will be founded. 1803Med. Jrnl. X. 129 The annexed letter contains some Observations on the late Influenza. 1848Dickens Dombey ii, Mrs. Chick made this impressive observation in the drawing-room.
†9. An object of attention or notice. rare.
1736Butler Anal. ii. vii, Insomuch that this one nation should continue to be the observation and the wonder of all the world.
10. attrib., as observation balloon, observation cell, observation deck, observation duty, observation gallery, observation hole, observation platform, observation post, observation room, observation terrace, observation vehicle, observation window, etc.; observation-based adj.; (in Philos.) observation basis, observation report, observation term (see quots.); observation-car, an open railway carriage, or one with glass sides; observation-mine, a mine (originally) fired from an observing station; observation officer = observer 4 b; observation-sentence Philos., in a scientific theory, a sentence that reports, or directly relates to, observed phenomena (opp. theoretical sentence); observation-statement, an observation-sentence, or the utterance of one; observation ward (see quot. 1927).
1909London Mag. Sept. 15/2 He made numerous ascents in captive *observation balloons. 1917F. Stark Let. 16 Oct. (1974) I. 49 We had a great time.., going to call on a Major..who looks after the observation balloons in this sector. 1950Gloss. Aeronaut. Terms (B.S.I.) i. 46 Observation balloon, a balloon fitted with a basket or car to carry passengers.
1965Language XLI. 212 The value of *observation-based description. 1965P. Caws Philos. of Sci. xxiv. 182 The *observation basis must consist of carefully formulated protocol sentences.
1872Harper's Mag. May 876/1 You look out of the open ‘*observation car’ as you sweep down from a height of 7000 feet. 1880‘E. Leathes’ Actor Abroad 177 An observation car, which is roomy, comfortable, and roofless is attached to the end of the train on leaving Sacramento. 1894J. Dale Round the World 308 An ‘observation’ car, made for the purpose of seeing the scenery. 1936Wodehouse Laughing Gas ii. 17 These observation cars, in case you don't know, are where the guard's van is on an English train. 1973Guardian 17 Mar. 14/4 The ‘Rheingold’ from Basle to Amsterdam..has a vista-dome observation car.
1898Westm. Gaz. 1 Oct. 7/1 The deceased..was placed in an *observation cell, being visited every quarter of an hour. The door would not be opened every time, but he would look through the observation place in the door.
1951A. C. Clarke Sands of Mars iii. 21 He..hurried out to the *observation deck, wondering what happened to Earth overnight. 1976E. P. Benson Bulls of Ronda vii. 51 Rafael Durán stood on the observation deck of the airport, watching the plane.
1951*Observation gallery [see liner n.2 8 c].
1898Westm. Gaz. 1 Oct. 7/1 Through the *observation hole in the door it was impossible to see the left-hand corner of the cell.
1886Pall Mall G. 19 Aug. 10/1 ‘*Observation mines’ are now automatically fired by a most ingenious method.
1904Daily Chron. 22 June 9/3 The aim of the Japs..was deadly true, and the *observation officers were able to see, through their field-glasses, men falling in every direction. 1922Observation officer [see flying officer s.v. flying vbl. n. 3]. 1974Times 23 Jan. 16/8 [Mr Arthur Harold Stevens] won the MC in 1916 for great courage under fire as an observation officer.
1906F. Lynde Quickening 29 At the rear of the string of Pullmans was a private car, with a deep *observation platform. 1943J. S. Huxley TVA xv. 127 The operation building for the navigation lock..contains control machinery.., and observation platform. 1957D. Robins Noble One x. 103 She could imagine him climbing up the ladders to the observation platforms on the tree tops.
1909Westm. Gaz. 17 Sept. 3/1 The way of this little bird is to sit on its *observation post. 1914Daily Express 28 Sept. 4/5 The damage to the cathedral was the inevitable result of the French using the cathedral as an observation post. 1937Koestler Spanish Testament ii. 276 At eight the prisoners came out into the courtyard again, and I took up my observation post. 1959Listener 26 Mar. 553/1 In the extreme, as in modern totalitarianism, all ‘observation posts’ are available only to the duly qualified. 1974K. Royce Trap Spider vii. 124, I could see the entrance... I had as good an observation post as any.
1964Amer. Philos. Q. I. 251/1 The *observation report can be a singular statement that contradicts the law. 1974M. Hesse Struct. Sci. Inference i. 35 The ‘meaning’ of observation reports is ‘theory-laden’.
1970Guardian 14 Feb. 8/2 *Observation rooms for looking down into the studios.
1936R. Carnap in Philos. of Sci. III. 429 My testing of any sentence..refers back ultimately to my own *observation-sentences. 1940A. J. Ayer Found. Empirical Knowl. ii. 86 Some observation-sentence should be derivable. 1964I. Scheffler Anat. Inquiry 135 Their vocabulary was appropriate, enabling derivation from observation-sentences. 1970W. V. Quine Philos. of Logic i. 5 Usually observation sentences are..individually responsive to observation. This is what distinguishes observation sentences from theoretical sentences.
1946A. J. Ayer Lang., Truth & Logic (ed. 2) 11 My principle..I shall restate here..using the phrase ‘*observation-statement’ in place of ‘experiential proposition’, to designate a statement ‘which records an actual or possible observation’. 1951Mind LX. 19 Such observation statements as ‘The hydrogen-oxygen mixture in this glass vessel when ignited changed into water vapour’. 1961E. Nagel Struct. of Sci. xi. 348 Singular statements that either formulate the outcome of observations..or describe the overt procedures..we shall call..‘observation statements’. 1966Philos. XLI. 260 Various views..were held about observation-statements.
1965P. Caws Philos. of Sci. xi. 78 Terms which name percepts we have agreed to call *observation terms, since they refer to what is directly observed. 1974M. Hesse Struct. Sci. Inference i. 10 The allegedly clear and distinct character of the observation terms.
1968N.Y. City (Michelin Tire Corp.) 129 An *observation terrace..offers a splendid view of the airport.
1897Daily News 21 July 6/5 A revolving *observation tower was opened at Great Yarmouth on Monday.
1972Police Rev. 10 Nov. 1444/1 They merge into almost any background—and for this reason they are the colours selected for Police *observation vehicles.
1927W. E. Collinson Contemp. Eng. 58 If there is doubt as to the presence of the disease in the patient when in hospital, he may be put in an *observation ward. 1961C. Cockburn View from West i. 7 This ward..had..been built..probably as an observation ward for children.
1897Kipling Capt. Cour. ix. 193 The secretary and typewriter sat together..by the plate-glass *observation window at the rear end. 1974P. Dickinson Poison Oracle i. 7 Wesley Morris stared at Dinah [sc. an ape] through the observation window. |