observance
noun/əbˈzɜːvəns/
/əbˈzɜːrvəns/
- [uncountable, singular] the practice of obeying a law, celebrating a festival or behaving according to a particular custom
- observance (of something) observance of the law
- a strict observance of the Sabbath
- observance of traditional practices
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- [countable, usually plural] an act performed as part of a religious or traditional ceremony
- religious observances
Word OriginMiddle English: via Old French from Latin observantia, from observant- ‘watching, paying attention to’, from the verb observare ‘to watch’, from ob- ‘towards’ + servare ‘attend to, look at’.
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