'exam' originates from 'examination', which comes from Latin 'examinare', meaning 'to weigh or test'.

'examinare' transformed into the Old French word 'examiner', and eventually became the modern English word 'examine', from which 'exam' is derived.

Initially, it meant 'to weigh or test', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a formal test of a person's knowledge or proficiency'.