Etymograph

English

inquisitor

Inquisitor comes from Latin inquīsītor ‘inquisitor, tracker, detective, spy’, 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 CEinquīrō3‘inquire, investigate’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinquīsītor4‘inquisitor, tracker, detective, spy’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400inquisiteur4
  7. Englishtodayinquisitor4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIV
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin inquiro
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin inquisitor
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English inquisitor

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, Latin inquisitor‘inquire, investigate’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinquīsītorWiktionary, English inquisitor‘inquisitor, tracker, detective, spy’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400inquisiteurWiktionary, English inquisitor
  7. EnglishtodayinquisitorWiktionary, English inquisitor

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

through Latin inquīrō ‘inquire, investigate’

enquiry, 3 more

Today it means

noun A person who inquires, especially searchingly or ruthlessly.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “inquisitor”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin quaero, Latin inquiro, Latin inquisitor. 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- / inquisitor

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