Audit

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɔː.dɪt/

Definitions

1. A systematic examination of financial records, processes, or operations to verify accuracy and compliance
2. An evaluation process involving a careful review of financial documentation and procedures to ensure adherence to standards and accuracy is essential
3. This entails a thorough inspection of records and operations to confirm their correctness and compliance with established regulations

Etymology: The English noun "audit" comes straight from Latin "audītus," the past participle of "audīre," meaning "to hear," and the word's connection to listening explains its later sense of checking accounts. Medieval and early modern courts did not rely on written ledgers alone. Accounts were read aloud before an examiner, who sat and listened for errors, so the act of hearing a financial report became the act of testing it. That oral origin is the surprising part. A word meaning "a hearing" slowly narrowed into a formal inspection of records, and the examiner's ears gave way to the examiner's eyes. Today the same root survives in "audience," "audible," and "auditory," all of which keep the older sense of hearing intact.

Synonyms: examination, inspection, review, assessment, evaluation

Antonyms: neglect, overlook, ignore, dismiss, disregard