# analyse

Pronunciation: say "AN-uh-lyz" UK /ˈæn.ə.laɪz/, US /ˈæn.əˌlaɪz/

## Verb

1. To examine something closely in order to discover what it is made of or what its true nature is.
   - Simple: To look at something very carefully to find out what it is made of or what it is really like.
   - _The laboratory will analyse the soil samples for traces of lead and other metals._
   - _Moral philosophers analyse an action by asking what the person intended and what followed from it._
2. To break something complex down into its basic parts or elements, often so that each one can be examined on its own.
   - Simple: To break something complicated into smaller parts so you can look at each part.
   - _It helps to analyse a large problem into a series of smaller, manageable questions._
   - _The report analyses household spending into housing, transport, food and leisure._

## Origin

Analysis probably gave rise to this word by back-formation; another possibility is Middle French analyser, based on analyse, from Medieval Latin analysis. The ultimate source is Ancient Greek análusis ("a breaking up, a loosening, releasing"), from analúō ("to unloose, release, set free"), a compound of aná ("up, throughout") and lúō ("to unfasten").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/analyse (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).