Inquiry

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: in=quir=y

CIDE DICTIONARY

Inquiry, n. [See Inquire.].

•  The act of inquiring; a seeking for information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.  [1913 Webster]

  "He could no path nor track of foot descry,
  Nor by inquiry learn, nor guess by aim."  [1913 Webster]

  "The men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate."  [1913 Webster]
•  Search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination into facts or principles; research; investigation; as, physical inquiries.  [1913 Webster]

  "All that is wanting to the perfection of this art will undoubtedly be found, if able men . . . will make inquiry into it."  [1913 Webster]

Court of inquiry. See under Court. -- Writ of inquiry, a writ issued in certain actions at law, where the defendant has suffered judgment to pass against him by default, in order to ascertain and assess the plaintiff's damages, where they can not readily be ascertained by mere calculation. Burrill.

Syn. -- Interrogation; interrogatory; question; query; scrutiny; investigation; research; examination.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Inquiry, n. (pl. -ies)
1 an investigation, esp. an official one.
2 = ENQUIRY.

Idiom

inquiry agent Brit. a private detective.

THESAURUS

Inquiry

amassing evidence, assize, audit, bone of contention, canvass, catechism, catechizing, change of venue, check, close inquiry, consumer research, consumer-preference survey, court-martial, cross-examination, cross-interrogatory, cross-question, debating point, delving, demand, department of investigation, detection, detective work, enquiry, examination, exhaustive study, exploration, feeler, hearing, indagation, inquest, inquirendo, inquisition, inspection, interrogation, interrogative, interrogatory, investigation, investigative bureau, issue, jury trial, leader, leading question, legislative investigation, legwork, mistrial, moot point, opinion poll, perscrutation, point at issue, point in question, poll, probe, probing, problem, public-opinion poll, query, querying, quest, question, question at issue, question mark, questionary, questioning, questionnaire, quodlibet, research, scrutiny, search, sifting, sleuthing, study, survey, topic, trial, trial balloon, trial by jury, vexed question, witch-hunt

ROGET THESAURUS

Inquiry

Inquiry

N inquiry, request, search, research, quest, pursuit, examination, review, scrutiny, investigation, indagation, perquisition, perscrutation, pervestigation, inquest, inquisition, exploration, exploitation, ventilation, sifting, calculation, analysis, dissection, resolution, induction, Baconian method, strict inquiry, close inquiry, searching inquiry, exhaustive inquiry, narrow search, strict search, study, scire facias, ad referendum, trial, questioning, interrogation, interrogatory, interpellation, challenge, examination, cross-examination, catechism, feeler, Socratic method, zetetic philosophy, leading question, discussion, reconnoitering, reconnaissance, prying, espionage, espionnage, domiciliary visit, peep behind the curtain, lantern of Diogenes, question, query, problem, desideratum, point to be solved, porism, subject of inquiry, field of inquiry, subject of controversy, point in dispute, matter in dispute, moot point, issue, question at issue, bone of contention, plain question, fair question, open question, enigma, knotty point, quodlibet, threshold of an inquiry, inquirer, investigator, inquisitor, inspector, querist, examiner, catechist, scrutator scrutineer scrutinizer, analyst, quidnunc, inquiry, inquisitive, requisitive, requisitory, catechetical, inquisitorial, analytic, in search of, in quest of, on the lookout for, interrogative, zetetic, all searching, undetermined, untried, undecided, in question, in dispute, in issue, in course of inquiry, under discussion, under consideration, under investigation, sub judice, moot, proposed, doubtful, quaere?, what?, why?, wherefore?, whence?, whither?, where?, how comes it?, how happens it?, how is it?, what is the reason?, what's the matter?, nicht wahr?, what's in the wind?, what on earth?, when?, who?, inquiry, request, search, research, quest, pursuit, examination, review, scrutiny, investigation, indagation, perquisition, perscrutation, pervestigation, inquest, inquisition, exploration, exploitation, ventilation, sifting, calculation, analysis, dissection, resolution, induction, Baconian method, strict inquiry, close inquiry, searching inquiry, exhaustive inquiry, narrow search, strict search, study, scire facias, ad referendum, trial, questioning, interrogation, interrogatory, interpellation, challenge, examination, cross-examination, catechism, feeler, Socratic method, zetetic philosophy, leading question, discussion, reconnoitering, reconnaissance, prying, espionage, espionnage, domiciliary visit, peep behind the curtain, lantern of Diogenes, question, query, problem, desideratum, point to be solved, porism, subject of inquiry, field of inquiry, subject of controversy, point in dispute, matter in dispute, moot point, issue, question at issue, bone of contention, plain question, fair question, open question, enigma, knotty point, quodlibet, threshold of an inquiry, inquirer, investigator, inquisitor, inspector, querist, examiner, catechist, scrutator scrutineer scrutinizer, analyst, quidnunc, inquiry, inquisitive, requisitive, requisitory, catechetical, inquisitorial, analytic, in search of, in quest of, on the lookout for, interrogative, zetetic, all searching, undetermined, untried, undecided, in question, in dispute, in issue, in course of inquiry, under discussion, under consideration, under investigation, sub judice, moot, proposed, doubtful, quaere?, what?, why?, wherefore?, whence?, whither?, where?, how comes it?, how happens it?, how is it?, what is the reason?, what's the matter?, nicht wahr?, what's in the wind?, what on earth?, when?, who?.

Reasoning,

N reasoning ratiocination rationalism, dialectics, induction, generalization, discussion, comment, ventilation, inquiry, argumentation, controversy, debate, polemics, wrangling, contention, logomachy, disputation, disceptation, paper war, art of reasoning, logic, process of reasoning, train of reasoning, chain of reasoning, deduction, induction, abduction, synthesis, analysis, argument, case, plaidoyer, opening, lemma, proposition, terms, premises, postulate, data, starting point, principle, inference, prosyllogism, syllogism, enthymeme, sorites, dilemma, perilepsis, a priori reasoning, reductio ad absurdum, horns of a dilemma, argumentum ad hominem, comprehensive argument, empirema, epagoge, reasoner, logician, dialectician, disputant, controversialist, controvertist, wrangler, arguer, debater polemic, casuist, rationalist, scientist, eristic, logical sequence, good case, correct just reasoning, sound reasoning, valid reasoning, cogent reasoning, logical reasoning, forcible reasoning, persuasive reasoning, persuasory reasoning, consectary reasoning, conclusive, subtle reasoning, force of argument, strong point, strong argument, persuasive argument, arguments, reasons, pros and cons, reasoning, rationalistic, argumentative, controversial, dialectic, polemical, discursory, discursive, disputatious, Aristotelian, eristic, eristical, debatable, controvertible, logical, relevant, for, because, hence, whence, seeing that, since, sith, then thence so, for that reason, for this reason, for which reason, for as, inasmuch as, whereas, ex concesso, considering, in consideration of, therefore, wherefore, consequently, ergo, thus, accordingly, a fortiori, in conclusion, in fine, finally, after all, au bout du compt, on the whole, taking one thing with another, ab actu ad posse valet consecutio, per troppo dibatter la verita si perde, troppo disputare la verita fa errare.

Learning

N learning, acquisition of knowledge &c, acquisition of skill, acquirement, attainment, edification, scholarship, erudition, acquired knowledge, lore, wide information, self-instruction, study, reading, perusal, inquiry, apprenticeship, prenticeship, pupilage, pupilarity, tutelage, novitiate, matriculation, docility, aptitude, studious, scholastic, scholarly, teachable, docile, apt &c, industrious, at one's books, in statu pupillari, a lumber-house of books in every head, ancora imparo!, hold high converse with the mighty dead, lash'd into Latin by the tingling rod.