Definition of INQUIRY

inquiry

Plural: inquiries

Noun

  • A question, an official investigation, or the act of asking.
  • a search for knowledge
  • an instance of questioning
  • a systematic investigation of a matter of public interest
  • The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
  • A search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; inquest.

Examples

  • His inquiry about the obscure word ’ZA’ settled a heated Scrabble debate.
  • Scientific inquiry

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English enquery, from the Old French verb enquerre, from Latin inquīrō, composed of in- (“in, at, on; into”) + quaerō (“I 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.

Antonyms

answer

Scrabble Score: 19

inquiry: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
inquiry: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
inquiry: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 20

inquiry: valid Words With Friends Word