peruse

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The Word of the Day for August 5 is:

peruse   \puh-ROOZ\   verb 
     1 a : to examine or consider with attention and in detail : study b : to 
look over or through in a casual or cursory manner
    *2 : read; especially : to read over in an attentive or leisurely manner

Example sentence: 
     Dmitri perused the menu while we waited for a table.

Did you know? 
     "Peruse" has long been a literary word, used by such famous authors as 
Shakespeare, Tennyson, and Thomas Hardy, and it tends to have a literary flavor 
even in our time. "Peruse" can suggest paying close attention to something, but 
it can also simply mean "to read." The "read" sense, which is not especially 
new and was in fact included in Samuel Johnson's 1755 dictionary, has drawn 
some criticism over the years for being too broad. Some commentators have 
recommended that "peruse" be reserved for reading with great care and attention 
to detail. But the fact remains that "peruse" is often used in situations where 
a simple "read" definition could be easily substituted. It may suggest either 
an attentive read or a quick scan. 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.





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