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in·quir·y

(ĭn-kwīrē, ĭnkwīr′ē, ĭnkwə-rē, ĭng-)

n. pl. in·quir·ies

1. The act of inquiring: engaged in scientific inquiry.

2. A question; a query: There were many inquiries about the new tax rates.

3. A close examination of a matter: a Congressional inquiry into the scandal.

Synonyms: inquiry, inquisition, investigation, probe
These nouns denote a quest for knowledge, data, or truth: filed an inquiry about the lost shipment; an inquisition into their political activities; a criminal investigation; a probe into alleged police corruption.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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