Etymograph

English

enquire

Enquire comes from Old French enquerre ‘to ask’, from querre ‘to search, to look for’, and ultimately from Latin quaerere.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerere1
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400querre1‘to search, to look for’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400enquerre1‘to ask’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1643enquire1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English enquire
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1643, John Milton, The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: […]: “Having thus at length enquired the truth concerning Law…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerereWiktionary, English enquire
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400querreWiktionary, English enquire‘to search, to look for’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400enquerreWiktionary, English enquire‘to ask’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1643enquireWiktionary, English enquire. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1643, John Milton, The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: […]: “Having thus at length enquired the truth concerning Law…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- ‘to acquire’

quest, acquisition, query, conquer, exquisite, inquisition, requisite, inquisitor, 13 more

through Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō

inquiry, inquire, 1 more

through Latin quaerere

question

Today it means

verb —

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “enquire”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin quaerere / enquire

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