Perscrutate
verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 To scrutinize, peruse, inspect (something). rare, transitive
"For though in the Laws of nature ard men, there is myſterious abſtruſity, which toils and troubles the Learners brain, in perſcrutating and underſtanding them; the effects whereof are viſible in the moroſity and ſeparation of their Students, from the pleaſures of converſation and diverſion; yet are the events and iſſues in comprehenſion of them to ſuch degrees,as are conſectaries and rewards of double diligence, very grateful, and perceptively congenial to the expectation of thoſe excellent minds, who after buſie diſquiſition into them, reap dulcedinem conſolationis ſanctæ."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"For though in the Laws of nature ard men, there is myſterious abſtruſity, which toils and troubles the Learners brain, in perſcrutating and underſtanding them; the effects whereof are viſible in the moroſity and ſeparation of their Students, from the pleaſures of converſation and diverſion; yet are the events and iſſues in comprehenſion of them to ſuch degrees,as are conſectaries and rewards of double diligence, very grateful, and perceptively congenial to the expectation of thoſe excellent minds, who after buſie diſquiſition into them, reap dulcedinem conſolationis ſanctæ."
Etymology
Either a back-formation from perscrutation, or directly from Latin perscrūtātus, perfect passive participle of perscrūtor (“to search”). Earliest known use is from 1663 (see quotations).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.