# surveillance

> English word · Noun · IPA /sɚˈveɪ.ləns/ · frequency rank #5,456

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

## Etymology
Unadapted borrowing 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 vigilāre (“to be watchful”). More at vigilant.

## Common misspellings (17)
`sruveillance`, `ssurveillance`, `surevillance`, `surrveillance`, `surveilalnce`, `surveilance`, `surveillacne`, `surveillancce`, `surveillanec`, `surveillannce`, `surveillence`, `surveillnace`, `survelilance`, `surviellance`, `survveillance`, `suvreillance`, `usrveillance`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/surveillance