accurate

Definitions

ac- (a form of ad-, 'to, toward') + cur (here from cūra, 'care' — see note) + -ate = 'done with care.' Accurate work is done carefully, so it is exact. Note: although it shares the cur spelling, accurate descends from cūra (care), not currere (run) — an honest irregularity in this family.

Why It Means This

A frank exception: accurate looks like a cur (run) word but is not. It comes from Latin accurare, 'to take care of' (ad- + cūra, care). Something done with care comes out exact — hence 'accurate.' If you ever wondered how running relates to accuracy, the answer is: it doesn't. They just look alike.

Common Collocations

• 1.accurate description准确的描述
• 2.accurate measurement精确测量
• 3.highly accurate高度准确
• 4.accurate data准确的数据

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Please give me an accurate account of what happened.

• 2.

  The forecast turned out to be remarkably accurate.

• 3.

  We need accurate measurements before we cut the wood.