Surveiled

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To be subject to ongoing observation by an authority or organization for purposes of security or intelligence gathering
2. Being watched carefully by an individual or group to gather information or ensure security
3. Undergoing scrutiny through cameras, sensors, or agents to detect activities or behaviors

Etymology: "Surveiled" is the past tense and past participle of "surveil", a verb that English formed by working backwards from a longer noun. The noun "surveillance" came into English from French, where "surveillance" derives from "surveiller" (to watch over), built from "sur-" (over) and "veiller" (to watch). English speakers then trimmed "surveillance" down to "surveil" by treating the ending as if it had been a verb suffix, a process called back-formation. The verb was first attested in 1903, and it was the source of the regular past forms. The French verb "surveiller" also has a variant, "surveille", which shows the same root in another shape. The English verb therefore took its meaning of close observation straight from the French idea of watching from above, and the "-eil" spelling reflects the French "veiller" that sits inside it.

Synonyms: monitored, watched, observed, supervised, tracked