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