Where does “examine” come from?
Examine comes from Old French examiner, from Latin examinare, ultimately derived from Latin ago meaning to drive or set in motion.
examine (English): to observe or inspect carefully or critically; to...
Definitions
- to observe or inspect carefully or critically; to...
Ancestry of “examine”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | examinen | — |
| 2 | Old French | examiner | to question; to torture; to consider; to ponder;... |
| 3 | Latin | examino | I weigh or consider; I examine |
| 4 | Latin | examen | swarm of bees; crowd; tongue of a balance; a... |
| 5 | Latin | exagmen | — |
| 6 | Latin | agō | to act, to behave |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |