English
examination
Examination comes from Latin exāminātiō ‘weighing, examination’, and goes back to agō ‘to drive’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to drive’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexāmen‘a consideration, an examining’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexāminō‘to weigh or consider’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexāminātiō‘weighing, examination’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400examinacion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500examinacioun
- Englishearliest quotation 2002examination
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to drive’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexāmen‘a consideration, an examining’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexāminō‘to weigh or consider’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexāminātiō‘weighing, examination’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400examinacion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500examinacioun
- Englishearliest quotation 2002examination
Earliest quotation: 2002, Paul Hyman, Infant Dyschezia: Looking out for Number Two: “In a child with infant dyschezia, physical examination and…”
Formed from examine + -ation
Latin agō ‘to drive’
Latin exāmen ‘a consideration, an examining’
Latin examino ‘to weigh or consider’
Old French examiner ‘to consider’
Middle English examinen
English examine
Linked words
through Latin agō ‘to drive’
act, agency, actual, agent, action, active, activity, actor, agenda, activate, ambiguous, agile, agility, squat, assay, enact, ambiguity, radium, cogent, agitation, actuator, exigent, redact, actuate, actuation, inexact, 98 more
Today it means
noun The act of examining.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin agō / examination