-ance, -ancy

1. A constant observation of a person, or a group; especially, anyone who is suspected of doing something illegal or thought to be a potential miscreant: There are now several U.S. government agencies that provide surveillances of suspected terrorists.
2. The act of keeping a careful eye someone or something in order to detect or to prevent any kind of felonious act or to provide evidence of such actions: The surveillances provided by the bank's video cameras helped to identify the bank robbers.

Electronic surveillances are being utilized by more cities around the world in order to apprehend lawbreakers who are involved in illegal activities.

3. Etymology: from French surveillance, "oversight, supervision, a watch"; a noun of action from surveiller, "oversee, watch"; from sur-, "over" + veiller, "to watch" from Latin vigilare, from vigil, "watchful, awake, wakeful". © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

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A survey; an inspection.

1. Moderation and self-restraint, as in behavior or expression: Dr. Jones told Jim that adhering to the new diet to lose weight required temperance in eating a balanced diet and the amounts should be sensible and not in excess.
2. Restraint in the use of or abstinence from alcoholic liquors: At first, temperance in the U.S. encouraged moderation in drinking, but it turned out to be prohibited entirely and finally this constitutional amendment was repealed in 1933.
3. Etymology: from Latin temperare, "to restrain oneself", which has come through into the derivatives temperance and temperate.

Being a tenant; occupation of land, a building, etc. by rental or lease.

In analytical chemistry, a weighing scale modified to measure the weight changes of a material that is being heated.

Resilience or unsusceptibility to heat: Electronic engineers are especially interested in thermoresistance since electrical elements produce heat and require being cooled, otherwise the elements would malfunction or even completely fail to operate!

The fraction of percentage of a particular frequency or wavelength of electronmagnetic radiation that passes through a substance without being absorbed or reflected.

The quality or state of being unacquainted; lacking acquaintance; ignorance.

To withdraw from a pledge of marriage; to be unbetrothed.

1. An unoccupied space or empty place; such as, unoccupied lodgings or offices: "The vacancy between the walls was filled with trash."

"This apartment building still has no vacancies."

"There is a vacancy on the second floor at the rear of the building."

"The personnel department is trying to fill a vacancy in the shipping department."

2. A gap; an opening; a breach.
3. An office, position, or tenancy that is unfilled or unoccupied: "There is no vacancy on the Supreme Court."
4. A lack of thought or intelligence: "Shirley had a look of utter vacancy when she was asked what happened yesterday."

1. The quality or state of wavering and being indecisive.
2. A state of wavering; fluctuation; inconstancy.

1. A situation that involves rambling from place to place: During the Great Depression, the rate of vagrancy among displaced persons was of concern to social service providers.
2. Having no permanent home or means of livelihood: Because of Janet's vagrancy, she was unable to obtain a health certificate in order to go to the doctor.

The current economic situations in many countries have resulted in an increase in unemployment and more vagrancy among people.