in·quir·ing

[in-kwahyuhr-ing]
adjective
1.
seeking facts, information, or knowledge: an inquiring mind.
2.
curious; probing; inquisitive in seeking facts: an inquiring reporter.
3.
scrutinizing; questioning: He looked at his father with inquiring eyes.

Origin:
1595–1605; inquire + -ing2

in·quir·ing·ly, adverb
non·in·quir·ing, adjective
non·in·quir·ing·ly, adverb
un·in·quir·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

in·quire

[in-kwahyuhr] verb, in·quired, in·quir·ing.
verb (used without object)
1.
to seek information by questioning; ask: to inquire about a person.
2.
to make investigation (usually followed by into ): to inquire into the incident.
verb (used with object)
3.
to seek to learn by asking: to inquire a person's name.
4.
Obsolete. to seek.
5.
Obsolete. to question (a person).
6.
inquire after, to ask about the state of health or condition of: Friends have been calling all morning to inquire after you.
Also, enquire.


Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin inquīrere to seek for (see in-2, query); replacing Middle English enqueren < Old French enquerre < Latin, as above

in·quir·a·ble, adjective
in·quir·er, noun
re·in·quire, verb, re·in·quired, re·in·quir·ing.
un·in·quired, adjective

inquirer, inquisitor.


1–3. investigate, examine, query. Inquire, ask, question imply that a person addresses another to obtain information. Ask is the general word: to ask what time it is. Inquire is more formal and implies asking about something specific: to inquire about a rumor. To question implies repetition and persistence in asking; it often applies to legal examination or investigation: to question the survivor of an accident. Sometimes it implies doubt: to question a figure, an account.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To inquiring
00:10
Inquiring is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Collins
World English Dictionary
inquire or enquire (ɪnˈkwaɪə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb (often foll by into)
1.  a.  to seek information; ask: she inquired his age; she inquired about rates of pay
 b.  (foll by of) to ask (a person) for information: I'll inquire of my aunt when she is coming
2.  to make a search or investigation
 
[C13: from Latin inquīrere from in-² + quaerere to seek]
 
enquire or enquire
 
vb
 
[C13: from Latin inquīrere from in-² + quaerere to seek]
 
in'quirer or enquire
 
n
 
en'quirer or enquire
 
n

inquiring (ɪnˈkwaɪərɪŋ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
seeking or tending to seek answers, information, etc: an inquiring mind
 
in'quiringly
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

inquire
late 13c., from O.Fr. enquerre, from V.L. *inquærere, from L. in- "into" + quærere "ask, seek" (see query). Respelled 14c. on L. model, but half-Latinized enquire still persists.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
But to practice good science requires an open and inquiring mind.
Many useful insights lurked in its vertices, awaiting discovery by inquiring
  graduate students.
Nonetheless everybody knows that the police and the judiciary can eavesdrop as
  they are inquiring into any misdeed.
He bought one piece after another, never inquiring who made them or so much as
  glancing at the prices.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT