inquiry
/ɪnˈkwaɪ(ə)ɹi/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.25 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; inquest.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "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."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: enquery, -, inquīrō, *kʷaizeō, *kʷeh₂-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɪnˈkwaɪ(ə)ɹi/
- British English: /ɪnˈkwaɪəɹi/