Inquisition
Inquisition , noun
[Latin inquisitio: compare French inquisition. See Inquire, and compare Inquest.]
1.
The act of inquiring; inquiry; search; examination; inspection; investigation.
As I could learn through earnest inquisition.
Let not search and inquisition quail
To bring again these foolish runaways.
2.
(a) (Law) Judicial inquiry; official examination; inquest.
(b)
(Law) The finding of a jury, especially such a finding under a writ of inquiry. — Bouvier
The justices in eyre had it formerly in charge to make inquisition concerning them by a jury of the county.
3.
(Roman Catholic Church) A court or tribunal for the examination and punishment of heretics, fully established by Pope Gregory IX. in 1235. Its operations were chiefly confined to Spain, Portugal, and their dependencies, and a part of Italy.
Inquisition , transitive verb
To make inquisition concerning; to inquire into. [Obsolete] — Milton