analyse

American  

[an-l-ahyz] / ˈæn lˌaɪz /

verb (used with object)

Chiefly British.

analysed, analysing

1. a variant of analyze.

---

analyse British  

/ ˈænəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to examine in detail in order to discover meaning, essential features, etc

2. to break down into components or essential features

   to analyse a financial structure

3. to make a mathematical, chemical, grammatical, etc, analysis of

4. another word for psychoanalyse

---

Other Word Forms

• analysable
  adjective
• analysation
  noun
• analyser
  noun

Etymology

Origin of analyse

C17: back formation from _analysis

Explanation

To analyse (analyze is U.S. English) something is to consider it in detail so you can figure out its workings or meaning. Analyse comes from Greek roots meaning "loosen." If you analyse something, it's as if you're untying it and letting the different parts separate so that you can study them. If you've got some mystery substance, you can analyse it by performing chemical reactions to break it into its parts. If you analyse a poem, you look at it word-by-word and even sound-by-sound. But remember that analyse is a British spelling, with analyze as the American version.

Example Sentences

In walks Tracey, who slams down the World Cup trophy and says: "Analyse this."

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2015

The programme, called OU Analyse, was developed at the university during the 2013-14 academic year.

From BBC • Jul. 28, 2015

Analyse the week's Premier League action with our interactive chalkboards.

From The Guardian • Apr. 4, 2011

Sure, Analyse This came after the first season, hilariously referenced by Tony's new shrink in season two, but the comic and bemusing potential of gangsters has always been present.

From The Guardian • Mar. 29, 2010

In 1696, l’Hôpital’s Analyse des infiniment petits became the first textbook on calculus and introduced much of Europe to the Leibnizian version.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife