Definition of observatory
observatories
1 : a building or place given over to or equipped for observation of natural phenomena (as in astronomy); also : an institution whose primary purpose is making such observations
2 : a situation or structure commanding a wide view
From the M-W Editors
Examples of observatory in a Sentence
the observatory is located on a mountaintop
Recent Examples of observatory from the Web
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The instrument compresses or expands the mirrors at the ends of the tunnels when a gravitational wave strikes the observatory.
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In less than two short years, the observatory has wrought twin revolutions.
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The observatories just have to sit and wait, bouncing laser beams between mirrors, ready to detect a tiny shift that signals a seismic event billions of light-years away.
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In Washington, the observatory beefed up its laser to reduce high-frequency noise.
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Washington gets 14 hours and 54 minutes of daylight on June 18-23, according to the observatory.
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The observatory also has a Visitor Center with a gift shop and museum.
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The Hubble observatory is in good health, and the reference should not have been attributed to Lightfoot.
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Orphan Stars Found in Long Galaxy Tail [Chandra X-Ray Observatory]
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'observatory'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of observatory
probably from New Latin observatorium, from Latin observare
OBSERVATORY Defined for English Language Learners
observatory
playDefinition of observatory for English Language Learners
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: a special building for studying stars, planets, weather, etc. : a building from which scientists study and watch the sky
OBSERVATORY Defined for Kids
observatory
playDefinition of observatory for Students
observatories
: a place that has instruments for making observations (as of the stars)
Learn More about observatory
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See words that rhyme with observatory Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for observatory Spanish Central: Translation of observatory Nglish: Translation of observatory for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of observatory for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about observatory
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