the size of the observable universe
scientists often work with phenomena that are not directly observable
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But last week saw an observable upwelling of anxiety, reflecting a break of the preceding low-volatility climb and some possible pent-up selling from historically elevated equity allocations.—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025 There’s nothing wrong with that, but the observable crinkles may be diminished.—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025 Other portions might be expanding, in a similar or different fashion to how the space of our observable Universe is expanding today.—Big Think, 14 Oct. 2025 In our task, a trial-and-error strategy could not work because the objects to be ordered were not directly observable; children could not rely on perceptual feedback.—Celeste Kidd, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for observable
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "that must or can be observed," borrowed from Latin observābilis "capable of being observed," from observāre "to give attention to, watch carefully, observe" + -bilis "capable (of acting) or worthy of (being acted upon)" — more at -able
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