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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Observatory \Ob*serv"a*to*ry\, noun; pl. {Observatories}. [Cf. F. observatoire.]
1. A place or building for making observations on the heavenly bodies.
The new observatory in Greenwich Park. --Evelyn.
2. A building fitted with instruments for making systematic observations of any particular class or series of natural phenomena.
3. A place, as an elevated chamber, from which a view may be observed or commanded.
4. (Mil.) A lookout on a flank of a battery whence an officer can note the range and effect of the fire; usually referred to as an {observation post}. --Farrow. [1913 Webster +PJC]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
observatory
noun
1: a building designed and equipped to observe astronomical phenomena
2: a structure commanding a wide view of its surroundings [syn: {lookout}, {observation tower}, {lookout station}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
46 Moby Thesaurus words for "observatory": Cassegrainian telescope, Newtonian telescope, OAO, OSO, Texas tower, astronomical observatory, astronomical telescope, beacon, belvedere, bleachers, bridge, coelostat, conning tower, coronagraph, coronograph, gallery, gazebo, grandstand, heliostat, lighthouse, lookout, loophole, observation post, orrery, outlook, overlook, peanut gallery, peephole, pharos, planetarium, radar telescope, radio observatory, radio telescope, reflector, refractor, ringside, ringside seat, sighthole, spectrograph, spectroheliograph, spectrohelioscope, spectroscope, telescope, top gallery, tower, watchtower
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
OBSERVATORY, noun A place where astronomers conjecture away the guesses of their predecessors.
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Observatory, PA Zip code(s): 15214
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