Examine: A Word Weighed on Roman Scales
To examine is to look at something closely and test it. The Latin behind it names the pointer on a pair of scales.
To examine something is to inspect it carefully enough to reach a judgement — a doctor examines a patient, a lawyer examines a witness, a student is examined on a subject. The Latin *examen* was the tongue of a balance, the needle that shows which side is heavier. To examine is to weigh.
- To inspect closely. *Examine the evidence.*
- To test knowledge formally. *Candidates are examined in June.*
- To question in court. *The witness was examined for an hour.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | examine | Examine it closely. |
| Past | examined | She examined the report. |
| Noun | examination | A medical examination. |
| Short form | exam | The maths exam. |
| Person | examiner | The examiner asked. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The doctor examined her knee.The medical sense, always with an object.
- Let us examine the claim more carefully.Common in argument and analysis.
- He was cross-examined by the defence.Cross-examination is questioning by the other side.
Ways of looking closely
- Examine — inspect in order to judge
- Inspect — check against a standard
- Scrutinise — examine with suspicion
- Survey — look over the whole
- Audit — examine records formally
From Old French *examiner*, from Latin *examinare*, to weigh, from *examen*, the tongue of a balance. The academic sense arrived in English in the Middle Ages, and *exam* was clipped from it in the nineteenth century.
Exam or examination?
The same thing. Examination is the formal word and still standard in medical and legal writing.
What is cross-examination?
Questioning a witness called by the opposing side. It follows the examination-in-chief by the side that called them.