inquisitor
UK[ɪnˈkwɪzɪtə(r)]US[ɪnˈkwɪzɪtər]
n
a person, especially a public official, who inquires or investigates something in an official capacity.
n
(historical) an officer of the Inquisition, a former Roman Catholic tribunal for the discovery and punishment of heresy.
Morpheme Breakdown
in
quisit
or
in
in, into
quisit
to seek, to ask
or
agent noun suffix
Etymology
the word 'inquisitor' has a direct lineage from latin, entering english in the late 14th century via old french. it is built upon the verb inquirere (to inquire), itself composed of in- (into) and quaerere (to seek). the core semantic logic is of one who "seeks into" or investigates a matter. this literal sense of an investigator evolved specifically to denote an official examiner, most notoriously associated with the ecclesiastical judges of the medieval inquisition who sought out heresy. thus, the modern meaning retains this dual sense of a formal investigator and a historical religious prosecutor.
Analysis
Structure: in (in, into) + quisit (to seek, to ask) + or (agent noun suffix)
- in: a latin prefix meaning "in, into, on, upon".
- quisit: derived from the latin root quaesit-, the past participle stem of quaerere, meaning "to seek, ask, inquire".
- or: a latin agent noun suffix meaning "a person or thing that does something".
Examples
the prosecutor acted as a relentless inquisitor during the cross-examination.
the historical figure was a grand inquisitor for the spanish inquisition.
the committee appointed an independent inquisitor to look into the allegations of fraud.