# observer

Pronunciation: US say "uhb-ZUR-vur" /əbˈzɝvɚ/; UK say "uhb-ZUR-vuh" /əbˈzɜːvə/

## Noun

1. A person who watches, monitors, or takes notice of what is happening around them.
   - Simple: A person who watches something carefully and notices what is happening.
   - _A keen observer of human behavior, he picked up on every subtle gesture._
   - _Observers of the night sky have tracked the stars for centuries._
2. A person sent as a representative to a meeting or other event to monitor it but not to take part.
   - Simple: A person sent to a meeting to watch what happens but not to join in.
   - _The union sent an observer to the contract talks._
   - _As an observer, she could listen to the debate but not vote._
3. A country or other body that holds limited participation rights within an organization.
   - Simple: A country or group that may join an organization's meetings but has limited rights there.
   - _The nation joined the regional council as an observer, without voting power._
   - _Several observers attended the summit but could not vote on the resolutions._
4. A person who adheres to or follows laws, guidelines, customs, or the like.
   - Simple: A person who follows rules, laws, or customs carefully.
   - _She is a strict observer of the speed limit and never drives too fast._
   - _As a devout observer of fasting customs, he eats nothing until sunset._
5. A crew member aboard an aircraft tasked with watching for enemy positions or aircraft.
   - Simple: A crew member on a plane whose job is to watch for enemy planes or troops.
   - _The observer in the rear seat radioed the enemy's location back to base._
   - _Each bomber carried an observer to spot ground targets._
6. A sentry or similar soldier stationed to staff an observation post and report what is seen.
   - Simple: A soldier who watches from a lookout post and reports what they see.
   - _The observer in the forward post reported movement along the ridge._
   - _Two observers manned the post through the night._

## Origin

Formed from the verb "observe" combined with the suffix "-er."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/observer (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).