1. The act or process of observing or inquiring with the use of logical order and planning into the particulars of an occurrence or event: An investigation may not always involve people looking for footprints at a crime scene, but such methodical gathering of details and other evidence associated with a violation or wrongdoing is at the center of any investigation.
2. The procedure of researching into an activity or transaction thoroughly and methodically: The investigation of the crime may take months to complete because there are so few clues to indicate how it happened.
3. Etymology: investigation comes from Latin vestigium, which means "footprint" and investigare, "to track".