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exam

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:32. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪɡˈzam/ (UK); /ɪɡˈzæm/, /ɛɡˈzæm/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is short for examination.[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A test of knowledge: 1848, as college students' slang;[2] the OED has 1877 and MWU 1872.[6][4]

Semantic evolution

Hoad dates the clipping to the 19th century.[3] It is colloquial in origin but now used widely, and in North America also for a medical examination.[5][7]

Timeline

  • 1848 – student slang for an examination.[2]
  • 1877 – in the OED.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An examination; a test of knowledge or ability.
  2. (chiefly US) A medical examination.

Word family

  • self-exam

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin