Etymologically
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investigation

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:47. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪnˌves.tɪˈɡeɪ.ʃᵊn/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English investigacioun,[2] borrowed from Old French investigacion,[3][2] and directly from Latin investīgātiō (“a searching into”),[3][4] from investīgāre (“to trace out, search after”),[3] from in- (“in, into”) and vestīgāre (“to track, trace”),[3] from vestīgium (“footprint, track”).[3][5] See investigate and vestige.[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of investigating, a search or inquiry: 1436 in the OED[6] and the early 15th century in Etymonline.[3]

Semantic evolution

An individual inquiry, with an and a plural, is from 1795.[6] The literal sense, the tracking of an animal, is rare, recorded in 1822.[6]

Timeline

  • 1436 – a searching into.[6]
  • 1795 – an inquiry.[6]
  • 1822 – tracking an animal (rare).[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act or process of investigating; careful examination.
  2. A detailed inquiry, as by the police, or a systematic study.

Word family

  • investigational
  • preinvestigation
  • reinvestigation
  • investigate
  • investigator
  • vestige
  • vestigial

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press