'observation' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'observatio,' where 'ob-' meant 'toward' and 'servare' meant 'to watch or keep.'

'observatio' transformed into the Old French word 'observacion,' and eventually became the modern English word 'observation' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'the act of watching or keeping,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'the act of observing something or someone carefully.'