DCHP-2

invigilate DCHP-2 (September 2016)

• v. — Education

  to watch over or supervise students at an examination.

  Type: 2. Preservation — Invigilate is a preservation from British English, where it underwent semantic narrowing from meaning 'to watch carefully' to the present meaning of supervising an exam (see OED-3, s.v. "invigilator"). The term has been preserved in Canada, but according to internet searches in Chart 1, it has not been preserved to the same degree in other former British colonies. The term does not appear in AND, DNZE or DSAE. In W-3, it is marked "British"; we here add the Canadian dimension.
  See also COD-2, s.v. "invigilate", which is marked "Cdn & Brit.".