surveiling, to surveil?

[Fred Shapiro]

On Thu, 1 Feb 2001, Laurence Horn wrote:

> It's in the on-line OED, though, with citations back to 1960 (first
> cite from a U.S. federal document, perhaps not surprisingly.  I think
> of it as being in the same (back-formed) bag as "liaise"

Here are two earlier examples (I don't quite understand the usage in the
first one):

1914 _Southern Reporter_ 65: 162  Even a compromoise by an insolvent
client of the judgment or decree obtained by the attorney will not be
surveilled or interfered with by a court of equity.

1926 _North Western Reporter_ 208: 877  The lieutenant of police
dispatched these two officers to surveil her premises.

Fred Shapiro


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