As a noun, an audit is a careful check of accounts, systems, or processes to see if they are correct and honest. As a verb, to audit is to carry out such a check.
It comes from Latin *audire* 'to hear', because early audits involved hearing accounts read aloud. Over time it came to mean any detailed examination of records.
Originally, auditors literally listened to people recite numbers, which is why the word is built on 'hearing'. Today we 'audit' not just finances but habits, code, and even personal goals—any time we pause and honestly examine what’s really happening.
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