Definition

Noun: 1. A legal or official inquiry, especially one held by a coroner, into the cause of a person's death: An "inquest" is a formal investigation, typically led by a coroner or a jury, to determine the facts surrounding a sudden, violent, or unexplained death. Its primary purpose is to establish who the deceased was, and how, when, and where they died. 2. A thorough investigation or discussion into the reasons for a failure or disaster: By extension, "inquest" can be used metaphorically to describe any detailed, critical examination into the causes of an unfortunate event or failure.

Usage

The word "inquest" is primarily used in legal and formal contexts. It is most commonly associated with the legal process following an unexplained death. The metaphorical use is common in journalism and political commentary.

Examples

• Legal Inquiry:

  • The coroner opened an inquest into the actor's sudden death.
  • The inquest concluded that the cause of death was accidental.
  • A jury at the inquest returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

• Metaphorical Investigation:

  • After the team's defeat, the newspapers began their usual inquest into what went wrong.
  • The company held an internal inquest to determine the reasons for the project's catastrophic failure.

Advanced Usage

• "Coroner's inquest": This is a common collocation specifying the type of official inquiry.

  • A coroner's inquest is mandatory for all deaths in police custody.

• "To hold an inquest (into something)": The standard phrase for initiating the investigation.

  • The authorities decided to hold an inquest into the fatal train crash.

Variants and Related Words

• Inquiry (n.): A general term for an official investigation. An inquest is a specific type of inquiry focused on a death.
• Inquisition (n.): A prolonged, harsh, or intensive investigation. This word has historical and negative connotations not typically associated with a standard legal inquest.
• Inquest jury (n.): The group of people sworn to hear the evidence and deliver a verdict at an inquest.

Synonyms

• Investigation: A formal examination to establish facts.
• Probe: A thorough and penetrating investigation.
• Inquiry: A process of asking questions to discover facts.

Idioms and Phrases

• The great inquest of the nation: A historical or literary phrase sometimes used to refer to a parliament or a supreme investigative body of a country.
• To be the subject of an inquest: To be examined or investigated in detail.
  • The government's economic policy was the subject of a lengthy political inquest.

Noun

1. an inquiry into the cause of an unexpected death