# How did "vet" come to mean "proofread"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-vet-come-to-mean-proofread/348324>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 14, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-vet-come-to-mean-proofread/348324 "2006-03-14T15:38:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-vet-come-to-mean-proofread/348324/1 "2006-03-14T15:38:37Z")

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As in: I’ll vet this document and then get it out to you. I suppose it means check the veracity more than proofread, but how did it come to have that meaning?

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-vet-come-to-mean-proofread/348324/2 "2006-03-14T15:47:05Z")

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From the Online Etymology Dictionary:

> [@](#):
>
> **vet**  
> 1862, shortened form of _veterinarian_. The verb “to submit (an animal) to veterinary care” is attested from 1891; the colloquial sense of “subject to careful examination” (as of an animal by a veterinarian, especially of a horse before a race) is first attested 1904, in Kipling.

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**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-vet-come-to-mean-proofread/348324/3 "2006-03-14T15:47:06Z")

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From the practice of requiring racehorses and similar animals to be examined by a vet(erinarian) before races and other competitions.

> **[vet | Origin and meaning of vet by Online Etymology Dictionary](https://www.etymonline.com/word/vet)**
>
> VET Meaning: "to submit (an animal) to veterinary care," 1891, from veterinarian. The colloquial sense of "subject… See definitions of vet.

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-vet-come-to-mean-proofread/348324/4 "2006-03-14T16:20:35Z")

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It seems to refer also to a more general review for reasonableness/correctness/validation. Vetting job applicants, vetting policy decisions. And is vaguely related to what seems to be the latest consultant phrase around here: the “sanity check”.

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**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-vet-come-to-mean-proofread/348324/5 "2006-03-14T16:38:05Z")

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According to my American Heritage dictionary (1973), it’s an informal British term, meaning to examine carefully.

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-vet-come-to-mean-proofread/348324/6 "2006-03-14T20:27:02Z")

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So there’s no relationship to the word _veto_? As in something that fails to pass muster gets vetoed?

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-vet-come-to-mean-proofread/348324/7 "2006-03-14T20:35:41Z")

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No relationship.