different between inspection vs watchfulness

English

Alternative forms

• inspexion (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French inspeccion, from Latin ?nspecti? (“examination, inspection”), from the verb ?nspici? (“I inspect”), from speci? (“I look at”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?sp?k??n/
• Rhymes: -?k??n

Noun

inspection (countable and uncountable, plural inspections)

1. The act of examining something, often closely.

   Upon closer inspection, the animal turned out to be a dolphin, not a shark!

2. An organization that checks that certain laws or rules are obeyed.

   The inspection fined the restaurant's owner because the kitchen was dirty.

Synonyms

• examination
• scrutiny

Related terms

• inspect
• inspector

Translations

Anagrams

• cispontine, inceptions

French

Etymology

From Old French inspeccion, from Latin inspecti? (“examination, inspection”), from the verb inspect? (“I inspect”), from spect? (“I observe, I watch”), frequentative of speci? (“I look at”).

Pronunciation

Noun

inspection f (plural inspections)

1. inspection (act of examining something, often closely)

Further reading

• “inspection” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

watchful +? -ness

Noun

watchfulness (countable and uncountable, plural watchfulnesses)

1. The state or quality of being watchful; alertness, vigilance or wakefulness.

   Continuous watchfulness is maintained around the clock.

   • 1665, Robert Hooke, Micrographia, Preface,^[1]

     The first thing to be undertaken in this weighty work, is a watchfulness over the failings and an inlargement of the dominion, of the Senses.

   • 1784, Samuel Johnson, letter addressed to Mr. Langton dated 25 August, 1784, cited in James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson, London: Charles Dilly, 1791, Volume 2, p. 545,^[2]

     Nights of watchfulness produce torpid days […]

   • 1896, H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau, New York: Stone & Kimball, Chapter 9, p. 82,^[3]

     Every dark form in the dimness had its ominous quality, its peculiar suggestion of alert watchfulness.

   • 1944, Neville Shute, Pastoral, London: Heinemann, Chapter 4,

     The steady rhythm of the engines, the fact that he had been sleeping badly, the boredom of a flight that he had done so many times before and did not want to do again, the long humiliation and unhappiness that was always in the background of his mind, all fought against his watchfulness.

Related terms

• watchful

Translations