English
quaere
Quaere comes from Latin quaerō ‘seek, look for’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- ‘to acquire’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeh₂-1‘to acquire’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷaizō1uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerō2‘seek, look for’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaere2
- Englishearliest quotation 1689quaere2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIV
- 2 Wiktionary, English quaere
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1689, John Locke: “Suppose then the cube and sphere placed on a…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeh₂-Wiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIV‘to acquire’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷaizōWiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIVuncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerōWiktionary, English quaere‘seek, look for’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaereWiktionary, English quaere
- Englishearliest quotation 1689quaereWiktionary, English quaere. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1689, John Locke: “Suppose then the cube and sphere placed on a…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- ‘to acquire’
through Proto-Italic *kʷaizō
conquest, questionnaire, 9 more
through Latin quaerō ‘seek, look for’
acquisition, inquiry, quest, exquisite, conquer, enquiry, inquisition, inquire, requisite, inquisitor, 11 more
through Latin quaere
Today it means
verb To ask or query; used imperatively to introduce a question or signify doubt.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “quaere”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin quaero. 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- / quaere