Etymograph

English

interrogation

Interrogation comes from Latin interrogātiō ‘a questioning, inquiry, examination,…’, from rogō ‘to ask’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to stretch out’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to stretch out’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃roǵós1‘stretching’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErogō2‘to ask’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterrogō2‘to ask, question, inquire, interrogate, to seek information from’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterrogātiō2‘a questioning, inquiry, examination, interrogation’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400interrogacion2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500interrogacion2
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1936interrogation2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin rogo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English interrogation
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1936, Thomas Stearns Eliot, [Unfinished Poems.] Coriolan. I. Triumphal March.: “There is no interrogation in his eyes / Or…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Latin rogo‘to stretch out’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃roǵósWiktionary, Latin rogo‘stretching’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErogōWiktionary, English interrogation‘to ask’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterrogōWiktionary, English interrogation‘to ask, question, inquire, interrogate, to seek information from’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterrogātiōWiktionary, English interrogation‘a questioning, inquiry, examination, interrogation’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400interrogacionWiktionary, English interrogation
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500interrogacionWiktionary, English interrogation
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1936interrogationWiktionary, English interrogation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1936, Thomas Stearns Eliot, [Unfinished Poems.] Coriolan. I. Triumphal March.: “There is no interrogation in his eyes / Or…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to stretch out’

right, real, director, source, regular, rule, address, direct, rich, dress, region, royal, correct, rank, regime, radar, roy, arrangement, rack, ana, rex, arrange, regulate, raj, rake, erect, rector, resurrection, regent, regency, regal, anorexia, rectify, rani, rectum, rajah, insurrection, rhesus, dirge, droit, 104 more

through Latin rogō ‘to ask’

rogue, arrogant, arrogance, derogatory, prerogative, derogation, 14 more

Today it means

noun The act of interrogating or questioning; an examination by questions; an inquiry.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “interrogation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin rogo. 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 *h₃reǵ- / interrogation

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