Review

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈvjuː/

Definitions

1. A careful examination or assessment of something, often followed by a report or critique of its quality or performance
2. An evaluation or analysis of a subject, typically involving feedback or critique regarding its effectiveness or merit
3. A detailed inspection or appraisal of something that results in an opinion or judgment about its value or quality

Etymology: The English noun "review" arrived in Middle English as "revewe" or "reveue," borrowed from Old French "reveüe," a feminine form of the past participle of "reveoir," meaning "to see again." Its ancestor, Latin "revideō," combined "re-" (again) with "videō" (see), the same root that gives English "video." So the earliest sense of "review" was literally a second look, a seeing again of something already seen. That literal idea of looking back over something explains why a review became a formal inspection. Soldiers lined up before a commander for an official inspection, and the act of reviewing troops carried that same sense of examining what is already in place. The noun therefore moved from the simple act of looking again toward a deliberate, official examination. The word has a twin in "revue," which came into English from French much later and kept the French spelling and a theatrical sense. The two share a Latin origin but took separate paths into English, which is why one stayed close to the original sense of looking back and the other became a stage show.

Synonyms: evaluation, assessment, critique

Antonyms: neglect, overlook