English → Latin
“examine” in Latin
exāminōto weigh or consider; to examineponderōto weigh; to ponder, reflect on, weigh upperpendōto weigh or examine carefully or exactly, ponder, considertentōto handle, touch; to try, test, temptexplōrōto investigate, search out, seek, discover, examine, explore; to spy out, reconnoitre; to test, try, put to the proofcōnsīderōto examine, look at or inspect, survey; to consider, reflect, contemplate, meditatedūcōto lead, guide, conduct, lead away; to take; to draw, pullīnspiciōto examine or inspect; to look into, look upon, consider or contemplate; to observedīligenterdiligently, carefully
The English word examine itself goes back to Latin agō, through examino.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
examine
To weigh carefully (with a view of ascertainin the nature of anything), examinare: ponderare (to weigh with a view of determining whether it has the right weight; then, figuratively, of subjecting the properties of things, notions, etc., to an examination): perpendere (to weigh thoroughly, PROP. and IMPROP., aliquid ad aliquid; e.g., ad praecepta disciplinae aliquid diligenter, diligentissime): tentare (to try or test anything): explorare (to search out and investigate the true nature of anything): considerare (to consider, as an act of the understanding): rationes alicujus rei habere or ducere (to take it fully into calculation): inspicere (to look into it, as it were, with a view to ascertain the nature, state, etc., of the object; both PROP., of ocular inspection, arma militis; and IMPROP., aliquem a puero, etc., of examining his character, mores alicujus, querelam): ☞ There is no authority for probare in this sense. To examine anything by anything, aliquid ad aliquid exigere: to examine anything very strictly, aliquid exactissimo judicio examinare; aliquid ad obrussam exigere (Sen.): to examine anything in a popular way, not with minute critical accuracy, aliquid non aurificis statera sed quadam populari trutina examinare (Cic.).
To examine by ocular inspection, inspicere (e.g., arma militis): contemplari (to examine as an act of feeling, absorbed in its object, and surrendering itself to the pleasant or unpleasant feelings it excites; Döderlein): intueri (to contemplate attentively something that strikes the fancy, etc.). (The words are found in this connection and order.) intueri et contemplari: spectare (to gaze quietly at an object that interests the understanding): contueri (to examine an object with fixed, widely opened eyes, etc.): oculis collustrare or perlustrare (to review with the eyes, to examine carefully): perspicere (to examine in all its parts, to examine thoroughly). (The words are found in this connection and order.) contueri perspicereque: circumspicere (to look all round, to take a view of): to examine hastily, oculis percurrere: to examine attentively, intentis oculis contemplari.
To examine by a searching enquiry, inspicere (to look into, e.g., mores alicujus): excutere (PROP., to shake a garment, in order to ascertain whether anything had been concealed in it: hence, figuratively, to sift, search thoroughly): scrutari: perscrutari (aliquem or locum, to inspect or visit thoroughly; hence, figuratively, to inquire into): percensere: recensere (to examine critically, etc.): cognoscere aliquid (to require information respecting): quaerere aliquid or de aliqua re (to endeavor to bring to light by investigation; e.g., conjurationem, de alicujus morte): inquirere in aliquid (to collect facts with the view of supporting a judicial inquiry): exquirere aliquid (to inquire closely into; e.g., verum; anybody’s actions by the strictest rule of conscience, alicujus facta ad antiquae religionis rationem): ☞ anquirere means, strictly, to impeach or accuse of a crime for which the penalty was previously determined (of the tribunes): to examine by torture, per tormenta quaerere aliquid; also quaerere only in the construction de servo in dominum (to torture a slave for the purpose of obtaining evidence against his master). To examine one’s self, in sese descendere (Persius); me ipse perspicio totumque tento (I examine myself, Cic., Legg., 2, 22, 59). To examine an account, rationem cognoscere, excutere, dispungere.
To examine by questioning, interrogare (e.g., testem). To examine a witness severely, etc., interrogare testem infeste ac premere (Quint.); well, bene (Cic.). ☞ Expendere testem is to ascertain the probable worth of his evidence, by sifting his character, connections, habits, etc.
To examine a school, pupils, etc., alicujus scientiam litterarum, doctrinae, artis, etc., tentare (after Cic., De Div., 1, 17, 32, cujus cum tentare vellet scientiam auguratus); explorare, exquirere, etc., quid sciant or didicerint discipuli (Krebs). ☞ Not alicujus profectus explorare.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for examine?
- The usual Latin words for “examine” are exāminō, ponderō, perpendō; also tentō, explōrō, cōnsīderō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.