perusal

perusal

English

Etymology

    From peruse + -al.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /pəˈɹuːzl̩/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)
    • Rhymes: -uːzəl

    Noun

    perusal (countable and uncountable, plural perusals)

    1. The act or process of perusing, or an instance of it.
      1. Studying something carefully; a careful study.
        Please find attached the relevant documents for your perusal.
        • 1755 April 15, Samuel Johnson, “Preface”, in A Dictionary of the English Language[1]:
          Having therefore no assistance but from general grammar, I applied myself to the perusal of our writers;
        • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad[2]:
          These were business hours, and a feeling of loneliness crept over him, perhaps germinated by his sight of the illustrated papers, and accentuated by an attempted perusal of them.
      2. Giving something a cursory scan; a cursory scan.

    Usage notes

    See peruse § Usage notes.

    Derived terms

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