different between inquiry vs pursuit

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

Alternative forms

• pursuite (obsolete)

Etymology

Old French poursuite, from the verb porsuir (“to pursue”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p??sju?t/, /p???sju?t/, /p???u?t/, /p????u?t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p??su?t/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /p?????t/, /p??s??t/

Noun

pursuit (countable and uncountable, plural pursuits)

1. The act of pursuing.
2. A hobby or recreational activity, done regularly.
3. (cycling) A discipline in track cycling where two opposing teams start on opposite sides of the track and try to catch their opponents.
4. (law, obsolete) prosecution

   • That pursuit for tithes ought, and of ancient time did pertain to the spiritual court.

Synonyms

• (hobby): See also Thesaurus:hobby

Derived terms

Related terms

• pursue

Translations

Further reading

• pursuit on Wikipedia.Wikipedia