Other forms: scrutinized, scrutinizing, scrutinizes
To scrutinize is to examine every detail with a critical eye. Not reading — going over.
It implies suspicion or at least high standards, since scrutinizing a contract means looking for what is wrong with it. It takes a direct object. Parliament scrutinizes legislation, which is a formal constitutional function rather than a figure of speech. British English usually spells it with an s. The noun is scrutiny, and bearing scrutiny means surviving that examination.
1verbscrutinizeTo examine something closely and critically.
“The auditors will scrutinize every transaction.”
Also accepted in games: scrutinise, inspect
Proto-Indo-European
*(s)ker- — to cut
Latin
scrūta — rubbish, broken trash
Vulgar Latin
scrūtor — to search or examine thoroughly
Medieval Latin
scrūtinium — a search, an inquiry
Middle English
scrutiny
English
scrutiny
English, today
scrutinize
From scrutiny + -ize. scrutiny comes from Middle English scrutiny, from Medieval Latin scrūtinium (“a search, an inquiry”), from Vulgar Latin scrūtor (“to search or examine thoroughly”), from Latin scrūta (“rubbish, broken trash”), from an extension of Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- (“to cut”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA