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Added 9 October 2026

scrutiny

/ˈskɹuː.tɪ.ni/ noun

In Latin: scrūtinium Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about scrutiny at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The act of examining something closely (as for mistakes).
A prolonged intense look.

Origin

From Middle English scrutiny, from Medieval Latin scrūtinium (“a search, an inquiry”), from Vulgar Latin scrūtor (“to search or examine thoroughly”), from Late Latin scrūta (“rubbish, broken trash”), from an extension of Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”).

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

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