Wiktionary

inspect

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Latin inspectum, past participle of inspicere (“to look into”), from in (“in”) + specere (“to look at”), equivalent to in- +‎ -spect.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɪnˈspɛkt/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛkt

Verb

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inspect (third-person singular simple present inspects, present participle inspecting, simple past and past participle inspected)

  1. To examine critically or carefully; especially, to search out problems or determine condition; to scrutinize.
    Inspect the system for leaks.
  2. To view and examine officially.
    The general inspected the troops and their barracks.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
      ‘ […] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. […]’.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Anagrams

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