Examine

How to spell examine

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce examine

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does examine mean?

1. verbTo inspect or study something carefully in order to learn about it or test it.

Examine in a sentence

• The surveyor will examine the roof for damage before the sale.

• Doctors need to examine the patient before prescribing anything.

Where does examine come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb examinare, meaning 'to weigh' or 'to test', which was built on the noun examen, the little tongue or needle on a set of balance scales that shows whether two weights are equal. That image of carefully weighing one thing against another gave the verb its sense of judging, testing, and inspecting closely. The noun examen in turn came from exigere, 'to weigh out' or 'to drive out', formed from ex 'out' and agere 'to drive or do'. English took the word in the 1300s through Old French examiner, first in the sense of legal questioning and close inquiry, and the academic 'sit an exam' meaning grew from that. A useful spelling cue is that the central syllable holds the silent-feeling 'a' of that old balance word examen, so it is examine, not 'examen' and not 'exemine'.

How the word is built

• exam- (from Latin examen: the tongue or needle of a balance)
• -ine (verb-forming ending)