reconnaissance

or re·con·nois·sance

[ ri-kon-uh-suh ns, -zuh ns ]
/ rɪˈkɒn ə səns, -zəns /

noun

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

Origin of reconnaissance

1800–10; < French; Middle French reconoissance recognizance

Example sentences from the Web for reconnaissance

British Dictionary definitions for reconnaissance

reconnaissance

reconnoissance

/ (rɪˈkɒnɪsəns) /

noun

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

Word Origin for reconnaissance

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