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Added 9 October 2026

scan

/skæn/ verb

In Latin: percurrō Wiktionary

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

To examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
She scanned the passage carefully but could not find what she was looking for.
To inspect, analyse or go over, often to find something.
to scan the hard drive for errors
To look about for; to look over quickly. To perform lexical analysis; to tokenize.

noun

A close investigation. Of written things, a careful reading.
Of written things, a careful reading.
Of written things, a cursory reading: a skim.

Origin

From late Middle English scanne (“to mark off verse to show metrical structure”), from earlier scanden, from Late Latin scandere (“to scan verse”), from Classical Latin scandō (“to climb, rise, mount”), from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to jump, dart, climb, scale, scan”).

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

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