Etymology From Middle English quest, queste; partly from Anglo-Norman queste, Old French queste (“acquisition, search, hunt”), and partly from their source, Latin quaesta (“tribute, tax, inquiry, search”), noun use of quaesita, the feminine past participle of quaerō (“to ask, seek”).
1
A journey or effort in pursuit of a goal (often lengthy, ambitious, or fervent); a mission.
the hero's quest
Cease your quest of love.c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
2 more examples
Everything I have done pales in comparison to what I am about to achieve. I am on a quest... a quest for the most revered icon in Klingon history. An icon that predates the Klingon Empire, an icon more sacred than the Torch of G'boj -- More revered than Sabak's armor, and more coveted than the Emperor's crown!1995, “The Sword of Kahless”, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, season 4, episode 8, spoken by Kor, →OCLC:
In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.” His quest leads him around the world to study a variety of suspect zoonoses—animal-hosted pathogens that infect humans.2013 January 23, Katie L. Burke, “Ecological Dependency”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 1, archived from the original on 09 Feb 2017, page 64:
2
Video games A task that a player may complete in order to gain a reward or advance the story.
Roleplaying games
At the same time, players are not forced to complete quests in a certain order; they're allowed enough free will within the game to determine their goals and needs.2012, Nick Iuppa, Terry Borst, Story and Simulations for Serious Games: Tales from the Trenches, New York and London: Focal Press, →ISBN, page 214:
3
The act of seeking, or looking after anything; attempt to find or obtain; search; pursuit.
to rove in quest of game, of a lost child, of property, etc.
Gad not abroad at every quest and call / Of an untrained hope or passion.[1633], George Herbert, edited by [Nicholas Ferrar], The Temple. Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, […], →OCLC:
5
Obsolete A group of people conducting a search or inquiry.
The senate hath sent about three several quests to search you out.c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
To 'cide this title is impanneled A quest of thoughts, all tenants to the heart, And by their verdict is determined The clear eye's moiety and the dear heart's part […]1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 46”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:
Etymology From Middle English quest, queste; partly from Anglo-Norman queste, Old French queste (“acquisition, search, hunt”), and partly from their source, Latin quaesta (“tribute, tax, inquiry, search”), noun use of quaesita, the feminine past participle of quaerō (“to ask, seek”).
1
To seek or pursue a goal; to undertake a mission or job.
2
To search for something; to seek.
Next day we quested in search of our caravan, and after some pains recovered it.1634, Thomas Herbert, Description of the Persian Monarchy now beinge the Orientall Indyes, Iles and other ports of the Greater Asia and Africk:
3
Biology, Entomology, Natural sciencesOf a tick To locate and attach to a host animal.
quest
noun
Etymology Blend of quiz + test, to avoid using the word test.
I had a calculus quest (not a quiz or a test, but somewhere in between...) it was on limits, and l'hopital's rule...1998 March 20, bill kao, “3rd per”, in alt.music.ash (Usenet):
However took a quest, quiz/test combination that this math progrm^([sic]) uses, and got ten out of ten on it!2004 September 24, Kathy, “Weekly Diary Third Semester #4”, in alt.coffee.clutch (Usenet):
2 more examples
Quests, bigger than quizzes and smaller than tests, consist of around 10 questions worth 2 points each, designed to take about 30–40 minutes.2015, Kathleen Gibson-Dee, “Learning Through Questing, Not Testing”, in College Teaching, volume 63, number 3, Taylor & Francis, →ISSN, page 133:
Most outcomes were assessed with 10 min, single-page, five-question quizzes/tests (“quests”) given at the beginning of class, followed immediately with a brief discussion of the correct answers; mastery could be demonstrated by the student with four of five complete, correct answers (with no partial credit). […] Students were given a finite number of “quest” retakes. Three class periods during the semester were used as quest makeup periods, during which students would be able to take new versions of EO and GO quests.2017, Joshua Ring, “ConfChem conference on select 2016 BCCE presentations”, in Journal of Chemical Education, volume 94, number 12, ACS Publications, →ISSN, pages 2005–2006: