different between surveillance vs watchfulness

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French surveillance (“a watching over, overseeing, supervision”), from surveiller (“to watch, oversee”), from sur- (“over”) + veiller (“to watch”), from Middle French, from Old French veillier (“to stay awake”), from Latin vigil?re, present active infinitive of vigil? (“I am watchful”). More at vigilant.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /s???ve?.l?ns/

Noun

surveillance (countable and uncountable, plural surveillances)

1. Close observation of an individual or group; person or persons under suspicion.
2. Continuous monitoring of disease occurrence for example.
3. (military, espionage) Systematic observation of places and people by visual, aural, electronic, photographic or other means.
4. (law) In criminal law, an investigation process by which police gather evidence about crimes, or suspected crime, through continued observation of persons or places.

Derived terms

Related terms

• surveil

Translations

See also

• wiretapping
• shadowing
• tailing
• lookout (act)
• sousveillance

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French surveillance.

Pronunciation

Noun

surveillance f (plural surveillances)

1. stakeout

French

Etymology

From surveiller +? -ance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sy?.v?.j??s/
• Rhymes: -??s

Noun

surveillance f (plural surveillances)

1. surveillance
2. supervision

Derived terms

• Comité de surveillance des activités de renseignement de sécurité

Descendants

• ? Dutch: surveillance
• ? English: surveillance

Further reading

• “surveillance” 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