Meaning

noun a search for knowledge

noun an instance of questioning

noun a systematic investigation of a matter of public interest

originFrom Middle English enquery, from the Old French verb enquerre, from Latin inquīrō, 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”). Later respelled to conform to the original Latin spelling, as opposed to the Old French spelling.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0