inquiry
nounUK /ɪnˈkwaɪəɹi/ · US /ɪnˈkwaɪ(ə)ɹi/
Etymology From Middle English enquery, from the Old French verb enquerre, from Latin inquīrō, composed of in- (“in, at, on; into”) + quaerō (“to seek, look for”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”). Later respelled to conform to the original Latin spelling, as opposed to the Old French spelling.
1
The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
- Yet in that February there were still some flutters of song, one of which was, Hey for the Lass wi' a Tocher, written in answer to Thomson's beseeching inquiry if he was never to hear from him again.1901, John Morley, editor, English Men of Letters, volume 30:
2
A search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; inquest.
- Scientific inquiry
- Donald Trump has lashed out against his own supporters, calling them gullible “weaklings” for questioning the transparency of a secretive government inquiry into the late high-profile socialite and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.2025 July 17, Oliver Holmes, “Trump calls Epstein conspiracy a ‘hoax’ and turns on Maga ‘weaklings’”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 10 Aug 2025:
- Derived terms
- coinquiry, contextual inquiry, court of inquiry, disciplinary inquiry, domestic inquiry, freedom of inquiry, grounded narrative inquiry, hard inquiry, inquiry-based learning, line of inquiry, point of inquiry, soft inquiry, writ of inquiry