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   In·qui·si·tion

   /ˌinkwiˈziSH(ə)n/

   

   noun

   • 1. a period of prolonged and intensive questioning or investigation: "she relented in her determined inquisition and offered help"
   • ▪ a judicial or official inquiry. historical
   • 2. an ecclesiastical tribunal established by Pope Gregory IX c. 1232 for the suppression of heresy. It was active chiefly in northern Italy and southern France, becoming notorious for the use of torture. In 1542 the papal Inquisition was re-established to combat Protestantism, eventually becoming an organ of papal government.

   Word Origin late Middle English (denoting a searching examination): via Old French from Latin inquisitio(n-) ‘examination’, from the verb inquirere (see inquire).

   Derivatives

   • 1. inquisitional adjective

   Scrabble Points: 20

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