perscrutation

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English

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Etymology

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From Latin perscrūtātiō, from the past participle stem of perscrūtor.

Pronunciation

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  • (UK) IPA(key): /pəːskɹuːˈteɪʃən/

Noun

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perscrutation (plural perscrutations)

  1. (rare) A thorough searching; a minute inquiry or scrutiny.
    • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Folio Society 2006, vol. 1 p. 103:
      The first and universall reasons are of a hard perscrutation.
    • 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “ch. 8, The Election”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book II (The Ancient Monk):
      Such guessing, visioning, dim perscrutation of the momentous future: the very clothmakers, old women, all townsfolk speak of it