noun
inquest
IHNGK-wehst
noun
1
A formal legal investigation, especially into the cause of a death.
"The coroner opened an inquest into the factory accident."
"An inquest ruled that the death was accidental."
How to Use Inquest
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn official investigation, usually into how or why someone died.
Common pairings
open an inquest
inquest into
coroner inquest
Word Forms
inquests plural
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The coroner opened an _____ into the factory accident.
Etymology
From Old French enqueste, from Latin inquirere, "to inquire into" — ultimately in- plus quaerere, "to seek."