audit
UK[ˈɔːdɪt]US[ˈɔːdɪt]
v
to officially examine and verify the financial accounts of a company or organization.
n
an official inspection of an organization's accounts, typically by an independent body.
Morpheme Breakdown
audit
audit
Etymology
the word 'audit' originates from the latin verb 'audire', meaning 'to hear'. this connection stems from the historical practice where financial accounts were read aloud for official verification, literally requiring a hearing. the latin past participle 'auditus' (meaning 'a hearing') was adopted into middle english via anglo-french, initially referring to an official examination of accounts. over time, the meaning evolved from the literal act of listening to the modern, more abstract concept of a systematic, independent inspection and verification of financial records, though the core idea of scrutiny remains.
Analysis
Structure: audit
the word is a simplex form. it is a direct borrowing from latin 'auditus', meaning 'a hearing, listening'. it functions as a complete lexical unit in english.
Examples
an external firm will audit the company's financial statements next month.
the annual audit revealed several discrepancies in the bookkeeping.
the tax authority has the power to audit any business it selects.