I. ˌinkwəˈzishən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English inquisicioun, from Middle French inquisition, from Latin inquisition-, inquisitio, from inquisitus (past participle of inquirere to inquire) + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : the act or an instance of inquiring : inquiry , search , examination , investigation
nominated himself for this delicate inquisition — S.H.Adams
proposed a brief inquisition into the politics of the place — John Buchan
2. : a judicial or official inquiry or examination usually before a jury (as for ascertaining taxable property or for fixing the guilt of nuisances) ; also : the finding of such a jury or the document on which it is recorded
3.
[Medieval Latin inquisition-, inquisitio, from Latin]
a. usually capitalized : a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical tribunal especially of medieval times and the early modern period having as its primary objective the discovery, punishment, and prevention of heresy ; specifically : an ecclesiastical tribunal set up in Spain under state control in 1478-80 with the object of proceeding against lapsed converts from Judaism, crypto-Jews, and other apostates that was marked by the extreme severity of its proceedings
b. : an official inquiry or investigation conducted with little or no regard for individual rights or characterized by undue harshness, bias, or hostility on the examiner's part
his inquisitions were backed by the authority of the United States government — Elmer Davis
the whole notion of loyalty inquisitions is a natural characteristic of the police state — New Republic
c. : a severe or searching questioning : the ordeal of such a questioning : grilling
pushed toward the edge by the inquisitions of the psychiatrists — Time
mumbled my way … through these inquisitions — Adrian Bell
Synonyms: see inquiry
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
: to make inquisition or inquiry
transitive verb
: to subject to inquisitional examination