observador

Observador is a noun in Portuguese and Spanish that designates a person who observes, watches, or monitors something. It derives from Latin observator, from observare meaning to observe. In both languages the masculine form is observador and the feminine observadora; the plural forms are observadores and observadoras.

Common uses include a person who watches or records events, a witness in a monitoring context, or a participant in scientific, journalistic, or administrative settings. In scientific and academic contexts, an observer is someone who records measurements or observations; in physics and philosophy, the term also refers to the reference frame or entity whose observations define the quantities being discussed, as in relativity.

In political and international contexts, observers are individuals or groups tasked with monitoring elections, agreements, or compliance with treaties. In journalism and media, the word has been adopted as a title for outlets or publications that report on current affairs from a watching, evaluative stance.

Across the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world, observador is widely understood without implying any specific nationality. The feminine form observadora is used when referring to a female observer. Related terms in English include observer; linguistic relatives include cognates in other Romance languages.