query

Etymology

It is a respelling of the earlier word quaere,^[2][3][4][5] which is borrowed from Latin quaere (“ask!, inquire!”), the imperative singular of quaerō (“to seek, ask”).^[2][6][7][8] The ending was assimilated to inquiry,^[4][7][9] or, according to the OED, followed words in -y.^[2] Etymonline thinks the Latin verb probably goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kʷo-, the stem of the relative and interrogative pronouns,^[9] while Barnhart and Klein call its origin unknown or uncertain.^[7][8] The OED notes that query and quaere were pronounced alike until the 20th century, and still are by some speakers.^[2] The verb is a conversion of the noun.^[2][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

A question, especially one expressing doubt or an objection: 1610, in John Robinson's defence of separation from the Church of England.^[2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1620,^[10] Barnhart finds quaery before 1635 and query in 1645,^[7] and Dictionary.com gives 1625–35.^[11]

Semantic evolution

In 16th-century English, Latin quaere "ask!" was written in the margin to mark a point open to question, and so came to be used as a noun meaning a question (from 1589);^[9][2][12] query took over this use.^[2][12] Among Quakers a query is one of a formal list of questions issued for the guidance of members, from 1654, now often in Advices and Queries.^[2] The verb is recorded from 1644, first for asking whether something is so,^[2][10] then for questioning a person (1653, now chiefly American) and calling something into doubt (1727).^[2] From 1836 the word was also a name for the question mark.^[2][13] Johnson (1755) defined it as "a question; an enquiry to be resolved".^[14] In London in the mid-19th century, to query was chimney sweeps' slang for touting for work from house to house.^[15]

Timeline

• 1589 – quaere used as a noun, a question.^[2][10]
• 1610 – query, a question expressing doubt.^[2]
• 1644 – verb, to ask whether.^[2][10]
• 1645 – the spelling query in Barnhart.^[7]
• 1653 – verb, to question a person, and query introducing a question.^[2]
• 1654 – among Quakers, one of a formal list of questions.^[2]
• 1727 – verb, to call something into question.^[2]
• 1836 – a question mark.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A question, especially one that expresses doubt or an objection: She had a query about the second invoice.^[13][10][2]
2. A question mark, or a mark in a text showing that something is doubtful.^[13][10][2]
3. In computing, a request for information from a database.^[1]
4. Among Quakers, one of a set of questions issued for the guidance of members.^[2]

Verb

1. To ask a question, or to say something as a question: “Is the train late again?” he queried.^[13][10][2]
2. To question a person, especially formally (chiefly US).^[13][10][2]
3. To express doubt about something or question whether it is correct: The auditor queried several of the expenses.^[13][10][2]

Word family

• querier
• queryingly
• querist

Related words

• inquiry
• quest
• question
• quaere
• inquire
• acquire
• request
• quarry

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
7. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
8. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
9. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
11. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
12. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
13. ^ a b c d e f Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
14. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
15. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)