Where does “scrutiny” come from?
Scrutiny comes from Middle English scrutiny, from Medieval Latin scrutinium, from Latin scrutari meaning to search or examine, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek- meaning to cut or separate.
scrutiny (English): Intense study of someone or something; Thorough...
Definitions
- Intense study of someone or something; Thorough...
Ancestry of “scrutiny”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | scrutiny | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | scrutinium | a search, an inquiry; search, inquiry,... |
| 3 | Latin | scrūtor | to search carefully, search into or out, examine thoroughly, explore a thing, investigate |
| 4 | Latin | scruta | rubbish, broken trash |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)krew- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |