inquiry

What it means

1. countableuncountableThe 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. countableuncountableA search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; inquest.

   Scientific inquiry

   1 more example

   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

In a sentence

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

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷeh₂-“to acquire”
2. Proto-Italic*kʷaizeō
3. Latininquīrō
4. Middle Englishenquery
5. Englishinquiry

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.