noun
pl. -·quir·ies- the act of inquiring
- an investigation or examination
- a question; query
Origin of inquiry
earlier enquery from Middle English enquere
noun
The definition of an inquiry is a question or an investigation.
An example of inquiry is a policeman interrogating a crime suspect.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"inquiry." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Inquiry>.
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inquiry. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Inquiry
inquiry
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"inquiry." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Inquiry>.
APA Style
inquiry. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Inquiry
inquiry
noun
pl. in·quir·ies- The act of inquiring: engaged in scientific inquiry.
- A question; a query: There were many inquiries about the new tax rates.
- A close examination of a matter: a Congressional inquiry into the scandal.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"inquiry." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Inquiry>.
APA Style
inquiry. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Inquiry
inquiry
inquiry inquest inquisition investigation probe research
These nouns denote a quest for knowledge, data, or truth: filed an inquiry about the lost shipment; holding an inquest to determine the cause of his death; an inquisition into her political activities; a criminal investigation; a probe into alleged police corruption; scientific research.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"inquiry." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Inquiry>.
APA Style
inquiry. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Inquiry
Noun
(plural inquiries)
- The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
- Search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; as, physical inquiries.
Usage notes
According to Fowler's Modern English Usage (1926), inquiry should be used in relation to a formal inquest, and enquiry to the act of questioning. Many (though not all) British writers maintain this distinction; the Oxford English Dictionary, on the other hand, lists inquiry and enquiry as equal alternatives, in that order. Some British dictionaries, such as Chambers 21st Century Dictionary , present the two spellings as interchangeable variants in the general sense, but prefer inquiry for the "formal inquest" sense. In Australian English, inquiry represents a formal inquest (such as a government investigation) while enquiry is used in the act of questioning (eg: the customer enquired about the status of his loan application). Both spellings are current in Canadian English, where enquiry is often associated with scholarly or intellectual research. (See Pam Peters, The Cambridge Guide to English Usage, p. 282.)
American English usually uses inquiry.
Origin
Middle English enquery, from the Old French verb enquerre, from Latin inquīrō. Later respelled to conform to the original Latin spelling, as opposed to the Old French spelling.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"inquiry." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Inquiry>.
APA Style
inquiry. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Inquiry
