Accuracy

How to spell accuracy

8 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce accuracy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does accuracy mean?

1. nounThe quality or state of being correct, exact, and free from error.

Accuracy in a sentence

• The auditor praised the accuracy of the quarterly figures.

• Translation work demands both speed and accuracy.

Where does accuracy come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin accuratus, meaning 'done with care' or 'carefully prepared', which was the past participle of accurare, 'to attend to carefully'. That verb was built from ad-, meaning 'to' or 'toward', and curare, 'to take care of', which itself grew from the noun cura, meaning 'care' or 'concern'. So at its heart accuracy is about doing something with such care that it comes out exactly right. English took in the related adjective 'accurate' in the early 1600s and formed the noun 'accuracy' shortly after, swapping the Latin ending for the familiar English suffix -acy. The same cura root sits quietly inside everyday relatives like 'cure', 'curious', and 'secure', and remembering that the word is really 'ad- + cura' helps explain why it carries a doubled c but only a single r.

How the word is built

• ac- (from ad-: to, toward)
• cur (from cura: care)
• -acy (noun-forming suffix)