Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

scrūto, āre, v. scrutor fin.

scrūtor, āri, ātus, v. dep. a. [scruta; cf.: γρυτεύει, scrutatur, Gloss. Philox.], qs. to search even to the rags, i. e. to search carefully, examine thoroughly, explore a thing; to search, examine a person (syn.: indago, rimo).

  1. I. Lit., of things: domos, naves, Cic. Vatin. 5, 12: loca abdita, Sall. J. 12, 5: omnia foramina parietum scrutatur, Petr. 98, 1: paleam, id. 33, 4: terraï abdita ferro, Lucr. 6, 809: ignem gladio, Hor. S. 2, 3, 276: lumina manibus, Sen. Oedip. 965: scrutatus sum quae potui et quae vidi omnia: inveni duos solos libellos, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 74, § 182; cf. Tac. H. 4, 1: L. Crassus spiculis prope scrutatus est Alpes, Cic. Pis. 26, 62: occulta saltuum, Tac. A. 1, 61: mare, id. Agr. 30; id. G. 45; cf.: scrutandi orbis gratiā, Plin. 5, 1, 1, § 9: canis scrutatur vestigia (ferarum), id. 8, 40, 61, § 147: venantium latibula scrutatus, Curt. 6, 5, 17: vias presso ore (canis), Sen. Thyest. 499: equorum delicta scrutantes, Amm. 14, 6, 25.
    Of personal objects: Eu. Ostende huc manum dexteram … Nunc laevam ostende … Jam scrutari mitto, to search you, Plaut. Aul. 4, 4, 24: non excutio te, non scrutor, Cic. Rosc. Am. 34, 97; so of searching, Asin. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 31, 1: consuetudinem salutantes scrutandi, Suet. Vesp. 12 fin.; and of a searching for spoil, Tac. H. 3, 25.
    1. B. Transf., to seek for, search out a thing (post-Aug. and very rare): venas melini inter saxa, Plin. 35, 6, 19, § 37: iter, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 1, 172; cf. infra, II. B.
  2. II. Trop., to examine thoroughly; to explore, investigate: quod est ante pedes nemo spectat: caeli scrutantur plagas, Enn. ap. Cic. Rep. 1, 18, 30; Cic. Div. 2, 13, 30 (Trag. v. 277 Vahl.): omnes sordes, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 3, § 11; cf: nomina ac vultus, alacritatem tristitiamque coëuntium, Tac. A. 16, 5: animos ceterorum secretis sermonibus, id. H. 4, 55: voluntatem, Quint. 2, 4, 26: locos, ex quibus argumenta eruamus, Cic. de Or 2, 34, 146; cf. id. Part. 3, 8: desinamus aliquando ea scrutari, quae sunt inania, id. Rosc. Am. 30, 83; cf.: quod non ratione scrutabimur, non poterimus invenire nisi casu, Quint. 5, 10, 22: interiores et reconditas litteras, Cic. N. D. 3, 16, 42: origines nominum, Quint. 1, 4, 25: omnia minutius et scrupulosius, id. 5, 14, 28: inferiora quoque, id. 7, 1, 27: exoletos auctores, id. 8, 2, 12: scripturas, Vulg. Johan. 5, 39.
    Absol.: totum diem mecum scrutor, facta ac dicta mea remetior, Sen. Ira, 3, 36, 3.
    1. B. Transf. (cf. supra, I. B.), to search into; to search out, find out a thing (so not till after the Aug. per.): fibras Inspiciunt, mentes deum scrutantur in illis, Ov. M. 15, 137: finem principis per Chaldaeos, Tac. A. 12, 52: sua Caesarisque fata, id. ib. 16, 14: arcanum ullius, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 37: ut causas hujus infinitae differentiae scrutetur, Tac. Or. 15; cf. Plin. Ep. 4, 30, 11: harenarum numerum et montium pondera scrutari, Amm. 14, 11, 34.
      P. a.: scrūtans, antis (late Lat.), perh. only in sup., that most closely examines: militaris rei ordinum scrutantissimus, Amm. 30, 9, 4.
      Hence, adv.: scrūtanter, searchingly, Ambros. Ep. 80.Act. collat. form scrūto, āre, acc. to Prisc. p. 799 P; cf. γρυτεύω, scruto, Gloss. Philox.
      Hence,
        1. b. scrūtor, ātus, pass., Amm. 28, 1, 10; 15, 8, 16; Aur. Vict. Orig. 6, 3.