examen

C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ɪɡˈzeɪmən/ UK /ɪɡˈzeɪmɛn/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a critical examination, especially a reflective examination of conscience

Each night the monk closed with a quiet examen of the day's deeds.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a critical examination,... examination scrutiny inquiry review inspection analysis

Word family

Related forms examine examination examiner

Etymology

From Latin examen ('the tongue of a balance, a weighing, examination'), contracted from *exagmen, from exigere ('to weigh, test'), from ex- ('out') + agere ('to drive').

examen Latin exigere Latin agere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# examen

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪɡˈzeɪmən/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪɡˈzeɪmɛn/

## Meanings
1. a critical examination, especially a reflective examination of conscience

## Examples
- Each night the monk closed with a quiet examen of the day's deeds.

## Synonyms
- examination
- scrutiny
- inquiry
- review
- inspection
- analysis

## Related Forms
- examine
- examination
- examiner

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: examen
- Root: exigere
- Root: agere

## Etymology
From Latin examen ('the tongue of a balance, a weighing, examination'), contracted from *exagmen, from exigere ('to weigh, test'), from ex- ('out') + agere ('to drive').

## AI Etymology
Examen comes from Latin examen ('the tongue of a balance, a weighing, examination'), contracted from *exagmen, from exigere ('to weigh, test'), from ex- ('out') + agere ('to drive'). Morphologically, the form is compositional: ex- marks part of the visible structure, while the remaining element supplies the lexical base. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "a critical examination, especially a reflective examination of conscience", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as examine, examination, and examiner, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin examen, Latin exigere, and Latin agere, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood includes examination, scrutiny, inquiry, and review, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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