scrutiny

[ skroot-n-ee ]
/ ˈskrut n i /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR scrutiny ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural scru·ti·nies.

a searching examination or investigation; minute inquiry.
surveillance; close and continuous watching or guarding.
a close and searching look.

Origin of scrutiny

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin scrūtinium the action of searching, of scrutinizing, derivative of scrūtārī to search

synonym study for scrutiny

1. See examination.

historical usage of scrutiny

Scrutiny and its related words scrutable and scrutinize come from the Late Latin noun scrūtinium “physical search (of a place) for something hidden.”
Scrūtinium is a derivative of the verb scrūtārī, having a verbal meaning corresponding to scrūtinium, but whose original meaning was “to sort through rags, junk, or trash” ( scrūta, a neuter plural noun, means “rubbish, trash”), which is very applicable to modern politics. And the earliest sense of scrutiny in English happens to be “the formal taking of votes.”

OTHER WORDS FROM scrutiny

non·scru·ti·ny, noun, plural non·scru·ti·nies. re·scru·ti·ny, noun, plural re·scru·ti·nies. self-scru·ti·ny, noun

Words nearby scrutiny

scrupulous, scrutable, scrutator, scrutineer, scrutinize, scrutiny, scrutoire, scry, scs, scsi, scuba

Words related to scrutiny

audit, search, review, analysis, surveillance, investigation, inquiry, inspection, perusal, scan, study, exploration, tab, survey, view, sifting, close-up

Example sentences from the Web for scrutiny

British Dictionary definitions for scrutiny

scrutiny
/ (ˈskruːtɪnɪ) /

noun plural -nies

close or minute examination
a searching look
  1. (in the early Christian Church) a formal testing that catechumens had to undergo before being baptized
  2. a similar examination of candidates for holy orders

Word Origin for scrutiny

C15: from Late Latin scrūtinium an investigation, from scrūtārī to search (originally referring to rag-and-bone men), from scrūta rubbish