diligence

Definitions

From Latin diligere, 'to single out, prize, love' — di- (here intensive, 'thoroughly/apart') + lig (pick, choose). To be diligent originally meant to care about something enough to pick it out and attend to it carefully. From 'caring attention' came 'painstaking effort.' Hence 'due diligence': the careful picking-over of every detail of a deal.

Why It Means This

Diligence comes from Latin diligere, literally 'to pick apart and choose,' which grew into 'to value, to love.' If you love or value something, you attend to it carefully — and from that careful attention came the modern meaning of painstaking hard work. The business phrase 'due diligence' preserves the original picking-over: examining every detail before you commit.

Common Collocations

• 1.due diligence尽职调查
• 2.with diligence勤勉地
• 3.hard work and diligence勤奋努力

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Years of diligence finally earned her a scholarship.

• 2.

  Investors should do due diligence before buying.