| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| inquisition |
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| SYLLABICATION: | in·qui·si·tion |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   n kw-zsh  n, ng- |
| NOUN: | 1. The act of inquiring into a matter; an investigation. See synonyms at inquiry. 2. Law a. An inquest. b. The verdict of a judicial inquiry. 3a. Inquisition A tribunal formerly held in the Roman Catholic Church and directed at the suppression of heresy. b. An investigation that violates the privacy or rights of individuals. c. A rigorous, harsh interrogation. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English inquisicioun, from Old French inquisicion, from Latin inqu sti , inqustin-, from inqustus, past participle of inqurere, to inquire. See inquire. | | OTHER FORMS: | inqui·sition·al —ADJECTIVE
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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