surveiling, to surveil?

[Jane Parker]

A search on lycos for surveil brought up a few examples from the Lancet.  They
delt with BSE/vKJS and ebola.  Maybe it has a toehold in the international
infectious disease community?

Jane P Parker

Mark Odegard wrote:

> >From: Drew Danielson
>
> >[Back-formation from surveillance.]
> >Usage Note: Surveil has encountered the same kind of critical resistance
> >that was once accorded to other back-formations such as diagnose and
> >donate. It remains to be seen whether it too will eventually come to be
> >regarded as useful and unexceptionable.
>
> I eyes popped when I first saw this in the New York Times ca, oh, the early
> 80s. The context was something the chief of the Subway Police said, in re
> television surveillance of subway stations (a search of the NYT archives
> would pro'ly bring up the story).
>
> As cop-talk, it's probably unexceptionable. The rest of us quese a bit.
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