Inspect

How to spell inspect

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce inspect

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does inspect mean?

1. verbTo look at something closely and carefully in order to assess its condition or find faults.

Inspect in a sentence

• The surveyor arrived to inspect the roof before the sale went through.

• Safety officers inspect the machinery every morning before the shift begins.

Where does inspect come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin inspicere, meaning 'to look into' or 'to examine closely', formed from the prefix in- 'into' and the verb specere 'to look at'. English took it up in the early 1600s, most likely shaped by the Latin past participle inspectus, and it has carried the sense of careful, deliberate examination ever since. The same specere root sits beneath a whole family of familiar English words, including 'spectator' (one who looks on), 'inspect', 'respect' (literally to look back at), and 'spectacle'. Because the root is spect, the spelling keeps that telltale -spect ending rather than anything phonetic, which is the main thing to remember. The word entered English alongside the rising bureaucratic and scientific culture of the seventeenth century, when checking and verifying things in detail became a formal activity.

How the word is built

• in- (into)
• spect (look, from Latin specere 'to look')