observance
The practice of complying with a law, custom, command or ruleThe practice of complying with a law, custom, command or rule.
» School is a place for learning, not for religious observances.
rul · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
6 senses(countable, uncountable)The practice of complying with a law, custom, command or rule.
Beachtung
conformity with law or custom or practice etc.
(countable, uncountable)The custom of celebrating a holiday or similar occasion.
(countable, uncountable)Observation or the act of watching.
the act of noticing or paying attention
(countable, uncountable)A rule governing a religious order, especially in the Roman Catholic church.
Thomas Merton was a monk in the Order of Cistertians of the Strict Observance.
(countable, uncountable)That which is to be observed.
(countable, uncountable)Reverence; homage.
Examples
4 sentencesSchool is a place for learning, not for religious observances.
Thou shalt keep this observance at the set time from days to days.
No other holiday has so rich an heritage of old customs and observances as Christmas.
A turban is a piece of cloth-based headwear worn by people in various cultures, often also serving as a religious observance.
Translations
3 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
From Old French observance, from Latin observantia. Equivalent of observe + -ance.From Old French observance, from Latin observantia. Equivalent of observe + -ance.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: observancesSynonyms
8 synonyms- the act of observing; taking a patient look:observationwatching
- conformity with law or custom or practice etc.:honoringhonouring
- the act of noticing or paying attention:noticeobservation
- a formal event performed on a special occasion:ceremonyceremonialceremonial occasion
Antonyms
2 antonymsWord family
8 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.