English
inquire
Inquire comes from Latin inquīrō ‘to seek for’, and goes back to quaerō.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerō‘to seek, look for’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinquīrō‘to seek for’
- Englishearliest quotation 1590inquire
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerō‘to seek, look for’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinquīrō‘to seek for’
- Englishearliest quotation 1590inquire
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book II, Canto X: “Canute had his portion from the rest, The which…”
The story
From Latin inquīrō (‘to seek for’), composed of in- (‘in, at, on; into’) + quaerō (‘to seek, look for’), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (‘to acquire’).uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- ‘to acquire’
conquest, questionnaire, 13 more
through Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō
through Latin quaerō ‘to seek, look for’
quest, acquisition, query, conquer, exquisite, requisite, 15 more
through Latin inquīrō ‘to seek for’
Today it means
verb To ask (about something).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin quaerō / inquire