Standard Lemma guide

observatory

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australian, UK: /əbˈzɜːvət(ə)ɹi/
  • Canada, US: /əbˈzɝvətɔɹi/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 B Z ER1 V AH0 T AO2 R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A place where stars, planets and other celestial bodies are observed, usually through a telescope; also place for observing meteorological or other natural phenomena.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A lookout (vantage point with a view of the surrounding area)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a structure commanding a wide view of its surroundings

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lookout, observation tower, lookout station

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: structure, construction

Narrower terms: observation dome, widow's walk

4

noun

Meaning 4

a building designed and equipped to observe astronomical phenomena

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: building, edifice

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French observatoire, equivalent to observe + -atory.

Across languages

Translations

99 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: observatori — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Arabic: مَرْصَد (marṣad) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Armenian: աստղադիտարան (astġaditaran) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Armenian: օբսերվատորիա (ōbservatoria) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Azerbaijani: rəsədxana — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Basque: behatoki — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Belarusian: абсервато́рыя (absjervatóryja) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Belarusian: абсэрвато́рыя (abservatóryja) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Bengali: মানমন্দির (manomondir) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Breton: arsellva — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Bulgarian: обсервато́рия (observatórija) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Burmese: နက္ခတ်မျှော်စင် (nakhkathmyaucang) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Catalan: observatori — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Chinese Mandarin: 天文臺 /天文台 (tiānwéntái) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Chinese Mandarin: 瞭望臺 /瞭望台 (liàowàngtái) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Czech: hvězdárna — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Czech: observatoř — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Danish: observatorium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Dutch: sterrenwacht — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Dutch: observatorium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Esperanto: observatorio — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Estonian: observatoorium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Estonian: tähetorn — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Finnish: observatorio — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Finnish: havaintoasema — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Finnish: tähtitorni — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Finnish: sääasema — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • French: observatoire — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Galician: observatorio — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Georgian: ობსერვატორია (observaṭoria) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • German: Observatorium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • German: Sternwarte — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Greek: αστεροσκοπείο (asteroskopeío) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Gujarati: વેધશાળા (vedhśāḷā) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Hebrew: מִצְפֶּה (mitspé) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Hindi: वेधशाला (vedhśālā) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Hindi: वेधालय (vedhālay) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Hindi: मानमंदिर (mānmandir) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Hungarian: obszervatórium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Icelandic: stjörnustöð — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Indonesian: observatorium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Irish: réadlann — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Italian: osservatorio — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Japanese: 天文台 (tenmondai) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Kazakh: расытхана (rasytxana) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Khmer: ឱលោកដ្ឋាន (ʼaolookatthaan) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Korean: 천문대 (cheonmundae) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Northern Kurdish: resedxane — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Kyrgyz: обсерватория (observatoriya) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Lao: ຫໍດາລາສາດ (hǭ dā lā sāt) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Lao: ຫໍເບິ່ງດາວ (hǭ bœng dāo) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Latin: observatorium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Latvian: observatorija — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Lithuanian: observatorija — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Macedonian: опсерваторија (opservatorija) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Malay: balai cerap — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Māori: whare mātai ātea — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Mongolian: обсерватори (observatori) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Norwegian Bokmål: observatorium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: observatorium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Pashto: رصدخانه (rasadxāna) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Pashto: ترصدګاه (tarasodgā) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Persian: رصدخانه (rasadxâne) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Plautdietsch: Himmelfarnrua — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Polish: obserwatorium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Portuguese: observatório — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Romanian: observator — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Romanian: observator astronomic — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Russian: обсервато́рия (observatórija) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Scottish Gaelic: amharc-lann — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Serbo-Croatian: опсерва̀то̄рӣј — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Serbo-Croatian: звездара — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Serbo-Croatian: звездарница — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Serbo-Croatian: opservàtōrīj — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Serbo-Croatian: zvezdara — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Serbo-Croatian: zvezdarnica — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Sicilian: assirbatoru — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Sicilian: taliaturi — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Slovak: hvezdáreň — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Slovak: observatórium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Slovene: observatorij — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Spanish: observatorio — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Swedish: observatorium — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Tagalog: obserbatoryo — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Tajik: расадхона (rasadxona) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Tatar: обсерватория (obserwatoriyä) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Thai: หอดูดาว (hɔ̌ɔ-duu-daao) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Turkish: gözlemevi — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Turkish: observatuar — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Turkish: rasathane — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Turkmen: obserwatoriýa — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Ukrainian: обсервато́рія (observatórija) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Urdu: رَسَد گاہ (rasad-gāh) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Uyghur: رەسەتخانا (resetxana) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Uzbek: rasadxona — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Uzbek: observatoriya — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Vietnamese: đài thiên văn — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Welsh: arsyllfa — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
  • Yiddish: אָבסערוואַטאָריע (observatorye) — place where celestial bodies or natural phenomena are observed
Real reading context

observatory in complete knowledge articles