Meaning

noun a former tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church (1232-1820) created to discover and suppress heresy

noun a severe interrogation (often violating the rights or privacy of individuals)

originFrom Old French inquisicion, from Latin inquisitio, from inquirere. The sense implying persecution is influenced by the name of the Spanish Inquisition, which is a cardinal exemplar of government inquisitions that give inquisitions a bad name.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0