surveil
|sur-veil|
🇺🇸
/sɚˈveɪl/
🇬🇧
/səˈveɪl/
monitoring closely
Etymology
'surveil' originates from French, specifically the word 'surveiller', where the prefix 'sur-' meant 'over' and 'veiller' (from Old French) meant 'to watch'.
'surveil' is a back-formation from the noun 'surveillance' (from French 'surveillance'), which itself developed from Old French 'surveillier/surveillier' and ultimately from Latin root 'vigilare'. The English noun 'surveillance' entered English from French in the 18th–19th century; the verb 'surveil' was later formed from that noun.
Initially related to the idea of 'watching over' (from 'over' + 'to watch'), its modern usage narrowed to official or systematic monitoring (often by authorities or intelligence agencies).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
to watch someone or something closely, especially in order to prevent or detect crime or wrongdoing; to keep under surveillance.
The police continued to surveil the suspect for several weeks.
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Verb 2
to observe and collect information about a person or group (often covertly) for intelligence, security, or investigative purposes.
Intelligence services may surveil communications of suspected operatives.
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Last updated: 2026/01/03 16:23