[مستر وليد السيد]

Concise Oxford English Dictionary

enquire

■ verb chiefly Brit.
ask for information. ▶(enquire after) ask about the health and well-being of. ▶[as adjective enquiring] (of a look) suggesting that information is sought.
(enquire into) investigate.


enquirer noun
enquiringly adverb


ME enquere, from OFr. enquerre, based on L. inquirere (based on quaerere 'seek').



inquire
■ verb another term for enquire.


inquirer noun

The traditional distinction between enquire and inquire is that enquire is to be used for general senses of ‘ask’, while inquire is reserved for uses meaning ‘make a formal investigation’. In practice, however, enquire (and enquiry) is more common in British English while inquire (and inquiry) is more common in US English, but otherwise there is little discernible distinction in the way the words are used.



© Oxford University Press, 2004