First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
inquest
noun in·quest \ˈin-ˌkwest\
law : an official investigation to find the reason for something (such as a person's death)
Full Definition of INQUEST
1
a : a judicial or official inquiry or examination especially before a jury <a coroner's inquest> b : a body of people (as a jury) assembled to hold such an inquiry c : the finding of the jury upon such inquiry or the document recording it
2
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Origin of INQUEST
Middle English, from Anglo-French enqueste, from Vulgar Latin *inquaesta, feminine of *inquaestus, past participle of *inquaerere to inquire
Related to INQUEST
- Synonyms
- delving, disquisition, examen, examination, exploration, inquiry, inquisition, investigation, probation, probe, probing, research, study
Rhymes with INQUEST
abreast, abscessed, appressed, armrest, arrest, at best, at rest, attest, backrest, beau geste, bed rest, behest, bequest, blood test, congest, conquest, contest, crow's nest, depressed, detest, devest, digest, distressed, divest, egest, eighth rest, field-test, flight-test, footrest, gabfest, half rest, hard-pressed, headrest, high-test, hillcrest, hope chest, houseguest, imprest, incest, infest, ingest, interest, invest, Key West, lovefest, love nest, Mae West, mare's nest, Midwest, molest, northwest, patch test, posttest, pretest, professed, protest, redbreast, repressed, request, revest, road test, scratch test, screen test, sea chest, skin test, slop chest, slugfest, southwest, spot test, steam chest, stress test, suggest, Trieste, t-test, unblessed, undressed, unrest, unstressed, war chest, whole rest, Wild West
INQUEST Defined for Kids
inquest
noun in·quest \ˈin-ˌkwest\
Definition of INQUEST for Kids
: an official investigation especially into the cause of a death
Medical Dictionary
inquest
noun in·quest \ˈin-ˌkwest\
Medical Definition of INQUEST
: a judicial or official inquiry especially before a jury to determine the cause of a violent or unexpected death <a coroner's inquest>
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