in·quir·y  ( ĭn-kw īr ē, ĭn kw īr ′ē, ĭn kw ə-r ē, ĭng -)
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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. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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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