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"investigation (inquiry)" in seven languages

Meaninginvestigation (inquiry)

Spanish

investigación

/inbestigaˈθjon/

fem.learned

Also 'research': investigación científica.

French

enquête

/ɑ̃kɛt/

fem.other source · Vulgar Latin *INQUAESĪTA 'a thing sought into'

Investigation exists but is much rarer.

Italian

indagine

/inˈdadʒine/

fem.other source · Latin INDĀGINEM 'a ring of hunters, a search' (learned)

Portuguese

investigação

/ĩvestʃigaˈsɐ̃w/

fem.learned

Romanian

anchetă

/anˈketə/

fem.other source · French enquête

Catalan

investigació

/imbəstigəsiˈo/

fem.learned

English

investigation

/ɪnˌvɛstəˈgeɪʃən/

from Latin/French · Latin INVESTĪGĀTIŌNEM, partly via French

English → Italianinvestigation (inquiry)indagineNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: investigate, vestige; inquest, inquiry (fr).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

INVESTĪGĀTIŌNEM‘a tracking down (VESTĪGIUM 'footprint')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

To investigate is to follow the footprints (VESTĪGIA). French enquête wears a circumflex for a lost s, which English inquest keeps.

English relatives: investigate, vestige; inquest, inquiry (fr)

Sound laws at work

-TIŌNEM: learned -ción, inherited -zón

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In a sentence

  • esLa policía abrió una investigación.
  • frLa police a ouvert une enquête.
  • itLa polizia ha aperto un'indagine.
  • ptA polícia abriu uma investigação.
  • roPoliția a deschis o anchetă.
  • caLa policia va obrir una investigació.
  • enThe police opened an investigation.

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