enquire
English
Etymology
From Old French enquerre, from en- + querre (“to search, to look for”), from Latin quaerere, of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪŋˈkwaɪə/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /ɪŋˈkwaɪɹ/
- Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: in‧qui‧re
Verb
enquire (third-person singular simple present enquires, present participle enquiring, simple past and past participle enquired)
- (intransitive) To make an enquiry.
- He enquired about the availability of rental bicycles in the town.
- (transitive, archaic) To ask about (something).
- 1644, J[ohn] M[ilton], The Doctrine or Discipline of Divorce: […], 2nd edition, London: [s.n.], OCLC 868004604, book:
- Having thus at length enquired the truth concerning Law and dispense.
- 1814, Lord Byron, “Canto I”, in The Corsair, a Tale, London: […] Thomas Davison, […], for John Murray, […], OCLC 1061889661, stanza II, lines 79–82, page 5:
- Thus prompts his accents and his actions still, / And all obey and few enquire his will; / To such, brief answer and contemptuous eye / Convey reproof, nor further deign reply.
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Usage notes
In the USA, inquire is generally used in place of enquire. Where enquire is used (particularly in the UK), it means a non-official enquiry (such as to ask a question), whereas inquire is used in legal or government context where official transcripts are generated. In the USA, this distinction is not made and inquire is used generally.[1]
Alternative forms
- inquire (chiefly US)
Derived terms
- enquire after
Related terms
- enquiry
Translations
to make an enquiry
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to ask about (something)
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References
- “enquire” in Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
Anagrams
- inquere