Inquire

How to spell inquire

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce inquire

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does inquire mean?

1. verbTo ask for information about something, or to seek to learn the facts of a matter.

Inquire in a sentence

• She rang the office to inquire about the refund.

• Guests often inquire whether breakfast is included in the room rate.

Where does inquire come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin inquirere, which meant 'to search into' or 'to look for', formed from in- 'into' and quaerere 'to seek or to ask'. It travelled into English during the 1300s by way of Old French enquerre, which is why the older British form is often spelled 'enquire' with an initial e. Over time the spelling was deliberately pulled back toward the original Latin in-, giving us 'inquire', the form that became dominant in formal and especially American usage. The same quaerere root that means 'to seek' also sits inside a whole family of familiar words, including question, query, quest, and acquire, all of which involve asking or searching. Remembering that Latin in- means 'into' helps fix the opening i, since you are literally seeking into a matter.

How the word is built

• in- (into)
• quire (from Latin quaerere: to seek, to ask)