Word
analyze
Phoneticsan·a·lyze
/ˈænəˌɫaɪz/
UK spelling · analyse
Definition
v. to look at something very carefully to find out more about it.
v. to examine something methodically and in detail, typically in order to explain or interpret it.
Examples
“The scientists analyze the water samples to check for pollution.”
“The marketing team will analyze the recent sales data to see which products are performing best this quarter.”
“Before committing to the merger, the board hired an independent firm to analyze the competitor's financial liabilities and project their long-term market viability.”
Examples
simple
“The scientists analyze the water samples to check for pollution.”
contextual
“The marketing team will analyze the recent sales data to see which products are performing best this quarter.”
complex
“Before committing to the merger, the board hired an independent firm to analyze the competitor's financial liabilities and project their long-term market viability.”
Usage
Often followed by a noun phrase representing the object of study; frequently used in passive constructions in academic writing.
Teaching tip
Note the spelling difference: 'analyze' is the standard American form, while 'analyse' is used in British English.
Real-World Examples
“With a flash of light, 2,000 photographs are taken of my body, in the hope of capturing every mark, freckle and mole to analyse for different skin cancers.” “Since 2008, Odgers has been working with 10- to 14-year-olds, extracting information every day from their phones, to analyse how they spend their time and how they are feeling.” Etymology
Probably formed within English, by back-formation, or by haplology from analysis + -ize, or from Middle French analyser, from the noun analyse, from Medieval Latin analysis, from Ancient Greek ἀνάλυσις (análusis, “a breaking up, a loosening, releasing”), from ἀναλύω (analúō, “to unloose, release, set free”), from ἀνά (aná, “on, up, above, throughout”) + λύσις (lúsis, “a loosening”), from λύω (lúō, “to unfasten”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/analyze