The act of examining; a careful search or inquiry, with a view to discover truth or the real state of things; careful and accurate inspection of a thing and its parts; as an examination of a house or a ship.

Mental inquiry; disquisition; careful consideration of the circumstances or facts which relate to a subject or question; a view of qualities and relations, and an estimate of their nature and importance.

Trial by a rule or law.

In judicial proceedings, a careful inquiry into facts by testimony; an attempt to ascertain truth by inquiries and interrogatories; as the examination of a witness or the merits of a cause.

In seminaries of learning, an inquiry into the acquisitions of the students, by questioning them in literature and the sciences, and by hearing their recitals.

In chimistry and other sciences, a searching for the nature and qualities of substances, by experiments; the practice or application of the docimastic art.