inquirer

Etymology

It is formed from English inquire + -er, an agent noun from the verb.^[2][3] The verb is from Middle English enqueren, from Old French enquerre (“to ask, inquire about”) and directly from Medieval Latin inquerere, from in- (“into”) and Latin quaerō (“to ask, seek”).^[2] The OED also records the spelling enquirer.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who inquires; a seeker or investigator: Etymonline dates it to the 1560s,^[2] and the 1989 edition of the OED to 1570–74.^[4]

Semantic evolution

From 1611 the word was used with after, into or of for the thing inquired about.^[4] Johnson (1755) defined it first as a searcher or examiner, one curious and inquisitive, quoting Browne, Locke and Glanvill, and second as one who questions.^[3]

Timeline

• 1560s – one who inquires, a seeker or investigator.^[2] The 1989 edition of the OED dates it to 1570–74.^[4]
• 1611 – with after, into or of.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person who asks questions; a questioner: The clerk answered every inquirer patiently.^[5][4][1]
2. A person who looks into a matter; a seeker or investigator.^[4][2][3]

Related words

• inquire
• inquiry
• inquisitive
• inquest
• query

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
4. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster