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inchiesta

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word inchiesta

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation, Semantic loan
First attested
1332 before 1332, Maestro Alberto More words from the 14th century
Ultimate origin
Latin quaerō

Pronunciation

  • /inˈkjɛs.ta/, /inˈkjes.ta/[1]

Forms

inchiesta f (plural inchieste)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian inchiedere (“to inquire”), now obsolete, as the feminine of its past participle inchiesto used as a noun.[2][3][4][5] The verb comes from Vulgar Latin *inquaerere, formed with the intensive in- on quaerō (“to seek, ask”), a variant of classical Latin inquīrō (“to search into”); Old Italian incherere is recorded in 1289 and at Bologna in 1302.[2][3][6] The same formation is French enquête and Occitan enquesta.[6][3]

The sense most current today, an official or journalistic investigation, was first a term of administrative language and was taken from the French word in the 19th century;[2][7] DELI dates it to 1886.[2][7] Panzini noted that the word was old in Italian and took a new sense on the French model.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, before 1332, is in Maestro Alberto, with the sense “inquiry, investigation into what happened”: Vecchia inchiesta e lamentanza è questa della providenza (“this is an old inquiry and complaint, the one about providence”).[2][7]

Semantic evolution

In Matteo Villani the word meant a request or demand, a sense that GRADIT still gives with an example from Manzoni.[8][4] From the 17th century it was used for scientific research into the truth of things.[8][9] In the 19th century Tommaseo accepted it for an inquiry by a judicial, administrative or parliamentary authority, the use that took the French sense.[8][2]

Journalists formed the verb inchiestare “to make an inquiry” from it, recorded in 1950 and censured as a horrid newspaper word.[2][9] Modern dictionaries add the sociological and dialect survey and the journalistic report, and the word is used after a noun as in film inchiesta.[4][10][5]

Timeline

  • Before 1332 – Maestro Alberto uses inchiesta for an inquiry.[2]
  • 14th century – Matteo Villani uses it for a request.[8]
  • 1886 – The administrative and journalistic sense, taken from French enquête, is recorded.[2]
  • 1950 – The newspaper verb inchiestare is recorded.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A thorough search for facts and information about an event or situation; a survey or poll.[4][11][1]
  2. (law) An investigation ordered by the competent authority to establish facts and find those responsible: commissione d'inchiesta.[4][11][12]
  3. An inquiry into the causes of a shipping or air accident.[4][5]
  4. (journalism) An investigative report or series of articles.[4][11][13]
  5. (archaic) A request.[4][12]

Word family

  • controinchiesta
  • inchiestare

Usage notes

Common combinations are inchiesta giudiziaria, inchiesta parlamentare and inchiesta giornalistica.[4][14] Zingarelli also gives an old form inchesta.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
  6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ a b c d Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 7, 664
  8. ^ a b c d Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  9. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1986
  10. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  11. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  12. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  14. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
Cite this entry

“Inchiesta.” Etymologically, 10 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/inchiesta. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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