inquest

noun

in·​quest ˈin-ˌkwest How to pronounce inquest (audio)
1
a
: a judicial or official inquiry or examination especially before a jury
a coroner's inquest
b
: a body of people (such as a jury) assembled to hold such an inquiry
c
: the finding of the jury upon such inquiry or the document recording it
2

Examples of inquest in a Sentence

The court has ordered an inquest into his death. the police conducted an inquest into the case
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The inquest into Farquhar’s death revealed an empty bottle of Gordon’s gin, two empty wine bottles and a half-empty bottle of whisky were found on his property at the time of his death. Rachel Burchfield, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024 Robert will be the sorry face of Lumi’s failure for most of the inquest. Nina Li Coomes, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2024 Farquhar, who was 78 at the time of his death on March 6, died after becoming trapped between his bed and a wall while intoxicated, according to the inquest. Rachel Burchfield, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024 One of Congress’s most powerful oversight initiatives was its inquest into abuses by the CIA and other agencies. John A. Lawrence, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020 See all Example Sentences for inquest 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enqueste, from Vulgar Latin *inquaesta, feminine of *inquaestus, past participle of *inquaerere to inquire

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of inquest was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near inquest

Cite this Entry

“Inquest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inquest. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

inquest

noun
in·​quest ˈin-ˌkwest How to pronounce inquest (audio)
: a judicial or official investigation

Medical Definition

inquest

noun
in·​quest ˈin-ˌkwest How to pronounce inquest (audio)
: a judicial or official inquiry especially before a jury to determine the cause of a violent or unexpected death
a coroner's inquest

Legal Definition

inquest

noun
in·​quest ˈin-ˌkwest How to pronounce inquest (audio)
1
: a judicial or official inquiry or examination often before a jury
a coroner's inquest
compare trial
2
: a body of people (as a jury) assembled to hold a judicial or official inquiry
also : the finding of such an inquiry or the document recording it
Etymology

Anglo-French enqueste, from Old French, ultimately from Latin inquirere to ask about, from in- within, into + quaerere to seek

More from Merriam-Webster on inquest

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