Definition of: observation

(ob′zər·vā′shən) noun
1. The act, faculty, or habit of observing; the fact of being observed.
2. Scientific scrutiny of a natural phenomenon, for experiment, verification, or measurement and calculation; also, the record of such an examination and the data connected with it: an astronomical or meteorological observation: in this sense distinguished from experimentation.
3. Experience or knowledge acquired by observing.
4. An incidental remark.
5. Obs. Observance. See synonyms under REMARK.
—to take (or work out) an observation Naut. To calculate the latitude and longitude from angular measurements of the altitude and position of the sun or other celestial body.
—ob′ser·va′tion·al adjective