reconnaissance

or re·con·nois·sance

[ ri-kon-uh-suhns, -zuhns ]

noun

1. the act of reconnoitering.
2. Military. a search made for useful military information in the field, especially by examining the ground.
3. Surveying, Civil Engineering. a general examination or survey of a region, usually followed by a detailed survey.
4. Geology. an examination or survey of the general geological characteristics of a region.

reconnaissance

/ rɪˈkɒnɪsəns /

noun

1. the act of reconnoitring
2. the process of obtaining information about the position, activities, resources, etc, of an enemy or potential enemy
3. a preliminary inspection of an area of land before an engineering survey is made

Word History and Origins

Origin of reconnaissance¹

1800–10; < French; Middle French reconoissance recognizance

Word History and Origins

Origin of reconnaissance¹

C18: from French, from Old French reconoistre to explore, recognize

Example Sentences

The Russian reconnaissance plane had been detected in the UK's "area of interest" but the MoD said at no time was it able to enter UK sovereign airspace.

From BBC

South Korea has amplified its own warnings, telling the Pentagon this week that North Korea is “very likely” to seek technology relating to tactical nuclear weapons, reconnaissance satellites and nuclear submarines.

From Los Angeles Times

He claimed that since 2018, China has tripled the amount of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites it has in orbit, building a “kill web over the Pacific Ocean to find, fix, track and target United States and allied military capabilities”.

From BBC

He was an experienced aviator, and after writing the book, returned to Europe on a reconnaissance mission for the Free French air force fighting Nazi Germany.

From BBC

UK forces have long benefited from the use of their own, state-of-the-art satellite communications system, called Skynet, but getting access to surveillance and reconnaissance imagery from space has largely required a friendly request to allies, particularly the United States.

From BBC

Related Words

• exploration
• surveillance