WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : In"quest
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [OE. enqueste, OF. enqueste, F. enqu?te, LL. inquesta, for inquisita, fr. L. inquisitus, p.p. of inquirere. See Inquire.]
Definition : 1. Inquiry; quest; search. [R.] Spenser. The laborious and vexatious inquest that the soul must make after science. South.

2. (Law) (a) Judicial inquiry; official examination, esp. before a jury; as, a coroner's inquest in case of a sudden death. (b) A body of men assembled under authority of law to inquire into any matterm civil or criminal, particularly any case of violent or sudden death; a jury, particularly a coroner's jury. The grand jury is sometimes called the grand inquest. See under Grand. (c) The finding of the jury upon such inquiry. Coroner's inquest, an inquest held by a coroner to determine the cause of any violent, sudden, or mysterious death. See Coroner. -- Inquest of office, an inquiry made, by authority or direction of proper officer, into matters affecting the rights and interests of the crown or of the state. Craig. Bouvier.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913