LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation

inquīrō

inquīrō (present infinitive inquīrere, perfect active inquīsīvī, supine inquīsītum)
Classical[ɪŋˈkʷiː.roː]Ecclesiastical[iŋˈkʷiː.ro]

Meaning

  1. to seek after, search for, inquire into something; investigate; pry, examine
  2. to search for grounds of accusation against someone

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Conjugation conjugation 3

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.inquīrōinquīrēbaminquīraminquīsīvīinquīsīveraminquīsīverō
2nd sg.inquīrisinquīrēbāsinquīrēsinquīsīvistīinquīsīverāsinquīsīveris
inquīsīeris
3rd sg.inquīritinquīrēbatinquīretinquīsīvit
inquīsīit		inquīsīveratinquīsīverit
1st pl.inquīrimusinquīrēbāmusinquīrēmusinquīsīvimusinquīsīverāmusinquīsīverimus
2nd pl.inquīritisinquīrēbātisinquīrētisinquīsīvistisinquīsīverātisinquīsīveritis
3rd pl.inquīruntinquīrēbantinquīrentinquīsīvērunt
inquīsīvēre, inquīsīērunt		inquīsīverantinquīsīverint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.inquīraminquīrereminquīsīveriminquīsīvissem
2nd sg.inquīrāsinquīrerēsinquīsīverīs
inquīsīeris		inquīsīvissēs
3rd sg.inquīratinquīreretinquīsīveritinquīsīvisset
inquīsīsset
1st pl.inquīrāmusinquīrerēmusinquīsīverīmusinquīsīvissēmus
2nd pl.inquīrātisinquīrerētisinquīsīverītisinquīsīvissētis
3rd pl.inquīrantinquīrerentinquīsīverintinquīsīvissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.inquīrorinquīrēbarinquīrar
2nd sg.inquīreris
inquīrere		inquīrēbāris
inquīrēbāre		inquīrēris
inquīrēre
3rd sg.inquīriturinquīrēbāturinquīrētur
1st pl.inquīrimurinquīrēbāmurinquīrēmur
2nd pl.inquīriminīinquīrēbāminīinquīrēminī
3rd pl.inquīrunturinquīrēbanturinquīrentur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.inquīrarinquīrerer
2nd sg.inquīrāris
inquīrāre		inquīrerēris
inquīrerēre
3rd sg.inquīrāturinquīrerētur
1st pl.inquīrāmurinquīrerēmur
2nd pl.inquīrāminīinquīrerēminī
3rd pl.inquīranturinquīrerentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.inquīreinquīrere
pres. 2nd pl.inquīriteinquīriminī
fut. 2nd sg.inquīritōinquīritor
fut. 3rd sg.inquīritōinquīritor
fut. 2nd pl.inquīritōte—
fut. 3rd pl.inquīruntōinquīruntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitiveinquīrereinquīrī
perfect infinitiveinquīsīvisseinquīsītum esse
future infinitiveinquīsītūrum esseinquīsītum īrī
present participleinquīrēns—
perfect participle—inquīsītus
inquīsīta, inquīsītā, inquīsītae, inquīsītam, inquīsītārum, inquīsītās, inquīsīte, inquīsītī, inquīsītīs, inquīsītō, inquīsītōrum, inquīsītōs
future participleinquīsītūrus
inquīsītūra, inquīsītūrā, inquīsītūrae, inquīsītūram, inquīsītūrārum, inquīsītūrās, inquīsītūre, inquīsītūrī, inquīsītūrīs, inquīsītūrō, inquīsītūrōrum, inquīsītūrōs, inquīsītūrum		inquīrendus
inquīrundus, inquīrenda, inquīrendā, inquīrendae, inquīrendam, inquīrendārum, inquīrendās, inquīrende, inquīrendīs, inquīrendōrum, inquīrendōs
gerundinquīrendī, inquīrendō, inquīrendumsupineinquīsītum, inquīsītū

inquīro, sīvi, sītum, 3, v. a. in-quaero,
I. to seek after, search for, inquire into any thing (cf. anquirere).
I. Lit.: vera illa honestas, quam natura maxime inquirit, Cic. Tusc. 3, 2, 3: omnia ordine, Liv. 22, 7, 11: sedes, Just. 3, 4: inquire in ea quae memoriae sunt prodita, Cic. Leg. 1, 1, 4: de opere, Quint. 3, 11, 21: verborum originem, id. 1, 6, 28: aliquibus inquirenda quaedam mandare, id. 10, 1, 128: vitia (alicujus), Hor. S. 1, 3, 28: quid sit furere, id. ib. 2, 3, 41.—
II. Trop.
A. Jurid., to search for grounds of accusation against one: cum ego diem inquirendi in Siciliam perexiguam postulavissem, Cic. Verr. 1, 2, 6: in competitores, id. Mur. 21: de rebus capitalibus, Curt. 6, 8, 17: inquisitum missi de iis, quorum, etc., Liv. 40, 20, 3.—
B. To search, pry, examine, or inquire into any thing: si quis habet causam celebritatis, in eum quid agat inquiritur, etc., Cic. de Off. 2, 13, 44: nimium inquirens in se, atque ipse sese observans, Cic. Brut. 82, 283: filius ante diem patrios inquirit in annos, to inquire how long his father will live, Ov. M. 1, 148: totum in orbem, id. ib. 12, 63: obstitit oceanus in se simul et in Herculem inquiri, Tac. G. 34.— Hence, inquīsītus, a, um, P. a., searched into or for: res, Liv. 10, 40, 10: corpus magna cum cura inquisitum, searched for, id. 22, 7, 5: istanc rem inquisitam certumst non amittere, not to neglect inquiry, Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 217.— Hence, adv.: inquīsītē, with investigation, thoroughly, Gell. 1, 3, 9; comp., id. 1, 3, 21.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Italic*en
  3. Proto-Italic*en-
  4. Latininquīrō

Latin quaerō Latin inquīrō From in- (“in, at, on; into”) + quaerō (“seek, look for”).

Descendants
  • Catalaninquirirfrom Old Catalan enquerre
  • Englishinquirefrom Old French enquerre
  • Englishenquirefrom Old French enquerre
  • Frenchenquérirfrom Old French enquerre
  • Italianinchiedere
  • Portugueseinquirir
  • Spanishinquirir
  • Galicianinquirir

Quick answers

What does inquīrō mean in Latin?
inquīrō, a verb, means “to seek after, search for, inquire into something; investigate; pry, examine”.
What are the principal parts of inquīrō?
inquīrō, inquīrere, inquīsīvī, inquīsītum (third conjugation).
How do you pronounce inquīrō?
In classical Latin, [ɪŋˈkʷiː.roː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [iŋˈkʷiː.ro].
Where does inquīrō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₁én → Proto-Italic *en → Proto-Italic *en- → Latin inquīrō.