Inquest
/ˈɪŋkwɛst/
Definitions
2 meaningsA formal investigation, especially by a coroner, into the cause of a death.
/ˈɪŋkwɛst/
A legal inquiry to determine the cause of a death.
The inquest revealed that the cause of death was accidental poisoning.
💡 Simply: Imagine someone died, and the police or a special official need to find out *exactly* why. An inquest is like a very official detective investigation to figure it out. For example, If someone died in a fire, an inquest might decide the fire was an accident or maybe even on purpose!
👶 For kids: When someone dies, sometimes grown-ups have a special meeting called an inquest to find out why they died.
More Examples
Witnesses were called to testify at the inquest.
The inquest aims to establish facts surrounding the incident.
How It's Used
"The coroner conducted an inquest into the suspicious death."
"News reports detailed the inquest's findings."
An archaic term for any formal investigation or inquiry.
/ˈɪŋkwɛst/
Archaic: An investigation or inquiry.
The medieval inquest into the lost treasure yielded no clues.
💡 Simply: Way back when, 'inquest' just meant looking into something seriously. Like, if the king wanted to know why the treasury was empty, he might call for an inquest. Nowadays, it's mostly used for figuring out how someone died.
👶 For kids: Long ago, an inquest was like asking lots of questions to find out what happened.
More Examples
The official documents from the inquest were preserved in the archives.
How It's Used
"The king ordered an inquest into the matter of missing taxes."
From Middle English *enqueste*, from Old French *enqueste* ('investigation'), from Medieval Latin *inquisita* ('inquiry'), from *inquirere* ('to inquire').
Historically, the term 'inquest' was used more broadly to refer to any official inquiry, but its primary usage today is limited to investigations into deaths.
Memory tip
Think of 'in-QUEST' to find the truth about a death.