Etymograph

English

inquisition

Inquisition comes from Latin inquisitio ‘search, inquiry, examination, investigation’, from quaerō ‘seek, look for’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- ‘to acquire’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeh₂-1‘to acquire’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷaizō1uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerō2‘seek, look for’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinquīrō3as inquirere‘to seek after, search for, inquire into something’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinquisitio3‘search, inquiry, examination, investigation’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400inquisicion3
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1552inquisition3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIV
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin inquiro
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English inquisition
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1552, Hughe Latymer [i.e., [The First Sermon]: “But as farrefoorth as I coulde learne, through earneſt…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeh₂-Wiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIV‘to acquire’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷaizōWiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIVuncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerōWiktionary, Latin inquiro‘seek, look for’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinquīrōWiktionary, English inquisitionas inquirere‘to seek after, search for, inquire into something’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinquisitioWiktionary, English inquisition‘search, inquiry, examination, investigation’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400inquisicionWiktionary, English inquisition
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1552inquisitionWiktionary, English inquisition. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1552, Hughe Latymer [i.e., [The First Sermon]: “But as farrefoorth as I coulde learne, through earneſt…”

The story

The sense implying persecution is influenced by the name of the Spanish Inquisition, which is a cardinal exemplar of government inquisitions that give inquisitions a bad name.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

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

question, enquire, 13 more

through Proto-Italic *kʷaizō

conquest, questionnaire, 11 more

through Latin quaerō ‘seek, look for’

quest, query, conquer, acquisition, exquisite, requisite, 15 more

through Latin inquīrō ‘to seek after, search for, inquire into…’

enquiry, 3 more

Today it means

noun An inquiry or investigation into the truth of some matter.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “inquisition”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin quaero, Latin inquiro. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- / inquisition

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