different between quest vs following

English

Etymology

From Middle English quest, queste; partly from Anglo-Norman queste, Old French queste (“acquisition, search, hunt”), and partly from their source, Latin quaesta (“tribute, tax, inquiry, search”), noun use of quaesita, the feminine past participle of quaerere (“to ask, seek”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kw?st/, enPR: kw?st
• Rhymes: -?st

Noun

quest (plural quests)

1. A journey or effort in pursuit of a goal (often lengthy, ambitious, or fervent); a mission.
2. The act of seeking, or looking after anything; attempt to find or obtain; search; pursuit.

3. (obsolete) Request; desire; solicitation.

   • Gad not abroad at every quest and call / Of an untrained hope or passion.

4. (obsolete) A group of people making search or inquiry.
5. (obsolete) Inquest; jury of inquest.
   • 1609, William Shakespeare, "Sonnet 46"

     To 'cide this title is impanneled
     A quest of thoughts, all tenants to the heart,
     And by their verdict is determined
     The clear eye's moiety and the dear heart's part […]

Derived terms

• sidequest

Translations

Verb

quest (third-person singular simple present quests, present participle questing, simple past and past participle quested)

1. To seek or pursue a goal; to undertake a mission or job.
2. To search for; to examine.
   • 1634, Thomas Herbert, Description of the Persian Monarchy now beinge the Orientall Indyes, Iles and other ports of the Greater Asia and Africk

     Next day we quested in search of our caravan, and after some pains recovered it.

3. (entomology, of a tick) To locate and attach to a host animal.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• queste, qwest, qwhest

Etymology

Partly from Anglo-Norman queste, Old French queste, and partly from their source, Latin quaesta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?kw?st(?)/

Noun

quest (plural questes)

1. (Late Middle English) A legal inquest or investigation; a session of court.
2. (Late Middle English) A group or body of jurors
3. (rare) A body of judges or other individuals commissioned to make a decision or verdict
4. (rare) The decision or verdict reached by such a body of judges.
5. (rare) A quest, mission, or search.
   1. (rare) The finding of prey by hunting dogs during a hunt.
   2. (rare, Late Middle English) The howling upon finding prey by hunting dogs during a hunt.
6. (rare, Late Middle English) A petition or asking.

Related terms

• conquest
• enquest
• questen
• questioun
• questor
• request

Descendants

• English: quest
• Scots: quest

References

• “quest(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-2.

Romagnol

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *eccu istu, from Latin eccum istum. Compare Italian questo.

Pronoun

quest (feminine singular questa)

1. this one, this

   Quest l'è un mond zneno, e nost mond.

   This is a small world, our world.

   Questa l'è una cittadina bela.

   This is a beautiful city.

Romansch

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *eccu istu, from Latin eccum istum. Compare Italian questo.

Pronoun

quest

1. this

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f?l????/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?f?lo???/
• Hyphenation: fol?low?ing

Adjective

following (not comparable)

1. Coming next, either in sequence or in time.

   Synonyms: succeeding; see also Thesaurus:subsequent

   Antonyms: preceding; see also Thesaurus:former

   • 1835, Sir John Ross, Sir James Clark Ross, Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Volume 1, pp.284-5

     Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.

2. About to be specified.

   Synonym: undermentioned

   Antonyms: abovementioned, aforementioned, aforesaid

3. (of a wind) Blowing in the direction of travel.

Usage notes

(Senses 1, 2) When it modifies a noun phrase, it is generally preceded by the definite article the, and the combination functions as a determiner rather than a simple adjective. You can put it before a cardinal like the following two remarks instead of the two following remarks.

Translations

Preposition

following

1. After, subsequent to.

   Following the meeting, we all had a chat.

Translations

Noun

following (plural followings)

1. A group of followers, attendants or admirers; an entourage.

   He had a loyal following.
2. Vocation; business; profession.
3. (with definite article, treated as singular or plural) A thing or things to be mentioned immediately after.

   The following is a recommendation letter from the president.

   The following are the three most important questions.

Translations

Verb

following

1. present participle of follow