quir-, quisit-, quis-, que-, quer-, quest-, -quirement, -quirable, -quisition, -quisitive

In a manner that is done in pursuit of knowledge or information: Hank inquisitively approached strangers and asked them personal questions, which was certainly not welcomed!

1. Eager for knowledge: The little girl's inquisitiveness by looking into closets and boxes often gets her into trouble.
2. Too curious about other people’s business: One of Ted's colleagues has such an inquisitiveness about people in the office that it often makes them feel offended.

1. Someone who asks a succession of relentless and searching or even hostile questions: Rufus, the investigative journalist, was known as a tough inquisitor because he was sometimes asking too many personal questions during his interviews.
2. When capitalized, Inquisitor refers to someone who was an official working for the Roman Catholic Inquisition: The Inquisitor was cruel and unpopular and so the people in the streets spoke angrily and threatened to revolt.

1. Resembling a formal inquiry, especially in using rigorous or relentless questioning: As a lawyer, Harriet's often inquisitorial behavior in cross examinations frequently upset clients and made them cry.
2. Used to describe a trial in which one person is both judge and prosecutor: Despite the press calling the trial an inquisitorial farce, the prosecuting attorney ignored the pleas of the public.

Done or accomplished in a manner that suggests secrecy or done while pursuing information from or about someone in a clandestine manner: The police investigation into the incident in the subway was inquisitorially completed so that neither the press nor the public knew about it.

Something that is considered to be a special right or privilege which is enjoyed as a result of one's position or service: The manager's son has the necessary perquisites to replace his father when he retires.

The use of the company's private jet is just one of the perquisites of the chief executive officer's benefits.

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1. An obligation to do something beforehand, especially as a necessary condition before something else can take place: Usually citizenship is a prerequisite before a person can vote in elections.
2. An action or condition in which one thing must be done in order for something else to happen: The university specified that the introductory course was a prerequisite for taking the advanced level course in the subject that Jill wanted to major in.

The bank tells its customers that maintaining a good credit rating is a prerequisite for applying for a loan.

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Translation: "To seek, to find, to defeat (conquer)."

Translation: "Seek after (the) truth."

Someone who is looking for information: Eric, the querist, was a reporter who wanted to find out what people think about the government's new health plan.

1. The process of requesting information or investigating something that is doubtful: There were many queries about the accuracy of what actually happened to John Kennedy when he was in the hospital after he was shot.
2. An action that results in obtaining information about something: Virginia made a query to the department store about an order that she had made several days ago.

The librarian responded to Mark's query about a special topic which he was researching in order to complete his assignment about Latin words in English.

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1. To ask people for information regarding their thoughts: Dudley, the reporter, queried several politicians about how they would vote on the new proposal to raise income taxes.

The magazine writer, Mr. Thompson, conducted a survey in which several leading educators were queried about the dietary habits of their students.

2. To express a desire to get a better understanding about some doubtful activity or to check the validity or accuracy regarding something: Many callers were querying the government agency as to why so many people could not get jobs when the economic reports indicated that more companies were hiring workers.

Mary's mother queried her daughter's teacher, Mrs. Anderson, about her decision not to have a final exam that semester.

Pertaining to the desire to express doubts about an issue or to check the validity or accuracy regarding an issue: When the Chief of Police queryingly asked the two officers what really happened when they tried to stop a speeding car, they resented the implications that they had done anything wrong.

A person who probes for information and seeks to fulfill an objective: Mrs. Jameson, being a queryist, was making an effort to determine why there were so many objections to the new head of government after she had received so many votes from the people during the election.

1. A search, an exploration, or a pursuit of some ambition or goal; to look for or to seek something: Donald went to a mountain retreat in his quest to understand the process of meditation that the monks were participating in.
2. A journey, expedition, or excursion in search of something; especially, one made by knights of the Middle Ages: For many medieval knights, their ultimate quest was for truth and the Holy Grail (a cup or plate that, according to medieval legend, was used by Jesus at the Last Supper and which later became the object of many chivalrous quests).
3. The aim, target, or goal of something being strived for: The explorer said that his quest in the jungle was to find his friend who had disappeared a year previously while looking for rare jewels. © ALL rights are reserved.

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