Other forms: inquests
An inquest is an official inquiry into a sudden death. Hold an inquest, the inquest found, an inquest verdict.
In England and Wales a coroner holds one when a death is violent, unnatural, sudden and unexplained, or in custody. It establishes who, when, where and how — not who is to blame, which is a distinction coroners repeat constantly. Figuratively an inquest is a post-mortem on any failure: an inquest into the defeat. Note coroner; and that inquest and inquire come from the same seeking.
1nouninquestAn official inquiry into a sudden death.
“The inquest heard that the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel.”
2nounreviewA review of any failure.
“After losing the final, the team held an inquest into what had gone wrong.”
inquest is an official inquiry.
Old French enqueste comes from Latin inquirere, to seek into — in plus quaerere, to seek. Inquire, question and quest come from the same seeking.
Latin
quaesita
Medieval Latin
inquesta
Vulgar Latin
inquiro
Old French
enqueste
Middle English
enquest
English, today
inquest
From Middle English enquest, from Old French enqueste (Modern French enquête), from Vulgar Latin inquiro, or from Medieval Latin inquesta < in + Latin quaesita.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA