different between inquiry vs examen

English

Alternative forms

• enquiry

Etymology

From Middle English enquery, from the Old French verb enquerre, from Latin inqu?r?. Later respelled to conform to the original Latin spelling, as opposed to the Old French spelling.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n?kwa???i/, /??-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?n?kwa?(?)?i/, /??nkw??i/, /???-/
• Hyphenation: in?qui?ry
• Rhymes: -a??ri

Noun

inquiry (countable and uncountable, plural inquiries)

1. The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
2. Search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation

Derived terms

• line of inquiry

Usage notes

According to Fowler's Modern English Usage (1926), inquiry should be used in relation to a formal inquest, and enquiry to the act of questioning. Many (though not all) British writers maintain this distinction; the Oxford English Dictionary, in its entry not updated since 1900, lists inquiry and enquiry as equal alternatives, in that order. Some British dictionaries, such as Chambers 21st Century Dictionary [1], present the two spellings as interchangeable variants in the general sense, but prefer inquiry for the "formal inquest" sense. In Australian English, inquiry represents a formal inquest (such as a government investigation) while enquiry is used in the act of questioning (eg: the customer enquired about the status of his loan application). Both spellings are current in Canadian English, where enquiry is often associated with scholarly or intellectual research. (See Pam Peters, The Cambridge Guide to English Usage, p. 282.)

American English usually uses inquiry.

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “inquiry”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

English

Etymology

From Latin ex?men (“the tongue of a balance, examination”), for exagmen, from exigere (“to weigh accurately, to treat”): compare French examen. See exact.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???ze?.m?n/

Noun

examen (plural examens)

1. (obsolete) examination; inquiry
   • July 11, 1780, William Cowper, letter to the Rev. William Unwin

     For this reason I decline answering the question with which you concluded your last, and cannot persuade myself to enter into a critical examen of the two pieces upon Lord Mansfield's loss […]

Anagrams

• axemen

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ex?men. Compare the inherited eixam.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /???za.m?n/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /e??za.men/

Noun

examen m (plural exàmens)

1. exam, test

Synonyms

• examinació

Derived terms

• examinar

Dutch

Alternative forms

• (before 1996) eksamen

Etymology

From Middle Dutch examen, from Latin ex?men.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??k?sa?.m?(n)/
• Hyphenation: exa?men
• Rhymes: -a?m?n

Noun

examen n (plural examens or examina, diminutive examentje n)

1. exam, examination, major test

Synonyms

• tentamen

Derived terms

• eindexamen
• examenuitslag
• examineren
• kerstexamen
• paasexamen
• praktijkexamen
• rijexamen
• schoolexamen
• theorie-examen
• toelatingsexamen

Related terms

• examinator

Descendants

• ? Indonesian: eksamen

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ex?men. Doublet of essaim.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.za.m??/, /e?.za.m??/
• Homophone: examens

Noun

examen m (plural examens)

1. exam, test

Derived terms

• examen blanc
• examen médical
• examen d'admission
• examen d'entrée
• examen de conscience
• examen de la vue
• mettre en examen
• mise en examen

Further reading

• “examen” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Latin

Etymology

From ex- (“out”) +? ag? (“I drive”) +? -men. Compare the meanings again of weighing in Ancient Greek ??????? (áxios) of same root.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ek?sa?.men/, [?k?s?ä?m?n]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ek?sa.men/, [???z??m?n]

Noun

ex?men n (genitive ex?minis); third declension

1. swarm of bees; crowd
2. tongue of a balance
3. a consideration, an examining

Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

Derived terms

• ex?min?

Descendants

References

• examen in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• examen in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• examen in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• examen in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• examen in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• examen in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin, French ex?men.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [e??za.men]

Noun

examen n (plural examene)

1. exam, examination, test

Declension

Romansch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ex?men.

Noun

examen m (plural examens)

1. exam

Derived terms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Vallader) examen final, (Puter) examen finel (“final exam”)
• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Surmiran, Puter, Vallader) examen da qualificaziun, (Sutsilvan) examen da qualificaziùn (“aptitude test, test of ability, occupational test”)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ex?men. Compare the inherited doublet enjambre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e??samen/, [e???sa.m?n]

Noun

examen m (plural exámenes)

1. exam, examination, test

Related terms

• examinar

Further reading

• “examen” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ex?men.

Pronunciation

Noun

examen c

1. exam
2. graduation
3. degree

   Den sökande bör ha en examen i ekonomi

   The applicant should have a degree in economics.

Declension

Synonyms

• (exam): examination

See also

• studenten
• tentamen