inquisition

C2+ Topic:Crime & Justice

US /ˌɪnkwəˈzɪʃən/ UK /ˌɪnkwɪˈzɪʃən/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a prolonged or intensive, often harsh, questioning or investigation

The interview felt less like a chat than an inquisition.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a prolonged or intensive,... interrogation investigation inquiry examination questioningcross-examination

Word family

Derived forms inquisitional

Related forms inquire inquiry inquisitive inquisitor query

Etymology

From Old French inquisicion, from Latin inquisitio(n-) ('a searching into'), from inquirere ('to seek into, inquire'), from in- ('into') + quaerere ('to seek, ask').

in- Latin quaerere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Crime & Justice Word Formation & Derivatives

# inquisition

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˌɪnkwəˈzɪʃən
**IPA (UK):** ˌɪnkwɪˈzɪʃən

## Meanings
1. a prolonged or intensive, often harsh, questioning or investigation

## Examples
- The interview felt less like a chat than an inquisition.

## Synonyms
- interrogation
- investigation
- inquiry
- examination
- questioning
- cross-examination

## Derived Forms
- inquisitional

## Related Forms
- inquire
- inquiry
- inquisitive
- inquisitor
- query

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: in-
- Root: quaerere

## Etymology
From Old French inquisicion, from Latin inquisitio(n-) ('a searching into'), from inquirere ('to seek into, inquire'), from in- ('into') + quaerere ('to seek, ask').

## AI Etymology
inquisition comes from Old French inquisicion, from Latin inquisitio(n-) ('a searching into'), from inquirere ('to seek into, inquire'), from in- ('into') + quaerere ('to seek, ask'). Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the noun sense is "a prolonged or intensive, often harsh, questioning or investigation", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as inquire, inquiry, inquisitive, and inquisitor, and in derivatives such as inquisitional. Its semantic neighborhood includes interrogation, investigation, inquiry, and examination, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin in- and Latin quaerere.

## Topics
- Crime & Justice
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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