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The act of investigating; the process of inquiring into or following up; research; study; inquiry, esp. patient or thorough inquiry or examination; as, the investigations of the philosopher and the mathematician; the investigations of the judge, the moralist.

erstanding; a keen look; keen features. To make our wits more keen. Shak. Before the keen inquiry of her thought. Cowper.

To gain knowledge or information of; to ascertain by inquiry, study, or investigation; to receive instruction concerning; to fix in the mind; to acquire understanding of, or skill; as, to learn the way; to learn a lesson; to learn dancing; to learn to skate; to learn the violin; to learn the truth about something. "Lea…

A vain, unprofitable discourse or inquiry. [R.]

ying, containing, or asserting denial, negation or refusal; returning the answer no to an inquiry or request; refusing assent; as, a negative answer; a negative opinion; -- opposed to Ant: affirmative. If thou wilt confess, Or else be impudently negative. Shak. Denying me any power of a negative voice. Eikon Basilike.…

The answer of a god, or some person reputed to be a god, to an inquiry respecting some affair or future event, as the success of an enterprise or battle. Whatso'er she saith, for oracles must stand. Drayton.

A thorough inquiry of search. [R.] Berkeley.

A thorough searching; a minute inquiry or scrutiny. Carlyle

re to be discovered by observation, experiment, and comparison. This philosophy holds all inquiry into causes, both efficient and final, to be useless and unprofitable.

r pertaining to the determination of some matter not previously decided; as, a prejudical inquiry or action at law.

A preliminary inquiry and determination about something which belongs to a matter in dispute.

To lay before a court as an object of inquiry; to give notice officially of, as a crime of offence; to find or represent judicially; as, a grand jury present certain offenses or nuisances, or whatever they think to be public injuries.

s; to act by method; to prosecute a design. He that proceeds upon other principles in his inquiry. Locke.

aracter; profession; occupation; assumed or asserted rank, part, or position. I made that inquiry in quality of an antiquary. Gray.

A question; an inquiry to be answered or solved. I shall conclude with proposing only some queries, in order to a . . . search to be made by others. Sir I. Newton.

Those who make search or inquiry, taken collectively. The senate hath sent about three several quests to search you out. Shak.

The act of asking; interrogation; inquiry; as, to examine by question and answer.

Admitting of being questioned; inviting, or seeming to invite, inquiry. [R.] Thou com'st in such a questionable shape That I will speak to thee. Shak.

Answering to an interrogative or inquiry; conveying a reply; as, redditive words.

To direct inquiry for information or a quarantes of any kind, as in respect to one's integrity, capacity, pecuniary ability, and the like; as, I referred to his employer for the truth of his story.