Did you know that peruse is its own opposite?
In the late 1400s, the word peruse was created to mean “to go through something with extreme detail or careful scrutiny.” It comes from per- (completely) combined with use.
By the 1530s, it was applied specifically to “read thoroughly.”
But somewhere in the mists of time, things changed. By the 19th century, peruse instead came to mean “browse” or “read casually.”
Why? Etymologists don’t have a lot to say on the matter. They simply classify it as a “contronym”–a word that has two opposite meanings. I always love finding these–how about you?
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Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. 
