examen

Everyday

1. (church) The examen is a short daily prayer in which a person looks back over the day, thanks God for good things and asks forgiveness for wrong ones; it comes from Saint Ignatius of Loyola. tree →
2. (French) «Examen» is the French word for an exam or test; it is not an ordinary English word in that sense. tree →
3. (old, formal) An examination or careful study. tree →

In the lessons

In church and religion lessons it describes a quiet habit of reflecting on the day, often at bedtime. In French lessons it means an exam. Phrases: «the daily examen», «pray the examen».

Examples

• Every night before bed she prays the examen. tree →
• In the examen you think about the best moment of your day. tree →
• Christians who pray the examen ask God to help them do better tomorrow. tree →
• Our teacher led a short examen at the end of the school day. tree →
• The examen was taught by Saint Ignatius. tree →
• (French) «J'ai un examen demain» means «I have an exam tomorrow». tree →
• The examen has steps: thanks, review, sorry and hope. tree →
• We wrote our own examen in our reflection journals. tree →

Note

Say «ex-AH-men» in the church sense. In French it sounds like «eg-za-MAN» (nasal end). Do not confuse with «amen». In English an exam is «exam» or «examination», not «examen».