August 04, 2011
- scrutinize (verb)
- \SKROO-tuh-nyze\
- What does it mean?
- : to examine very closely
- How do you use it?
- During the ballet performance, Madison scrutinized the dancers to see who could jump highest and who could spin fastest.
- Are you a word wiz?
A close look at the etymology of "scrutinize" reveals that it stems from the Latin verb "scrutari." What do you think "scrutari" means?
If you chose B, your search is over. The roots of the verb "scrutinize" ultimately trace to the Latin word "scrutari," which means "to search" and "to examine." "Scrutari" is the ancestor of several English words that entered English before "scrutinize." These relatives include "scrutable" ("capable of being understood"), "inscrutable," ("mysterious" or "not easily understood"), and "scrutiny" ("a close examination or inspection"). Less than 100 years after "scrutiny" entered the language, English speakers used it to form the verb "scrutinize." Incidentally, word scholars think that "scrutari" probably came from the Latin word "scruta," meaning "trash."
