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Added 9 October 2026

peruse

/pəˈɹuːz/ verb

Latin root: perūtor Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about peruse at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To examine or consider with care.
To read completely.
To look over casually; to skim.

noun

An examination or perusal; an instance of perusing.

Origin

From either Medieval Latin perūtor, perūsitō (“wear out”) or Anglo-Norman peruser (“use up”), originally leading to two concurrent meanings, but only those derived from "to examine" survive today. By surface analysis, per- + use.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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