From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Inquest \In"quest\, n. [OE. enqueste, OF. enqueste, F.
enqu[^e]te, LL. inquesta, for inquisita, fr. L. inquisitus,
p. p. of inquirere. See {Inquire}.]
1. Inquiry; quest; search. [R.] --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
The laborious and vexatious inquest that the soul
must make after science. --South.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Law)
(a) Judicial inquiry; official examination, esp. before a
jury; as, a coroner's inquest in case of a sudden
death.
(b) A body of men assembled under authority of law to
inquire into any matter, civil or criminal,
particularly any case of violent or sudden death; a
jury, particularly a coroner's jury. The grand jury is
sometimes called the grand inquest. See under {Grand}.
(c) The finding of the jury upon such inquiry.
[1913 Webster]
{Coroner's inquest}, an inquest held by a coroner to
determine the cause of any violent, sudden, or mysterious
death. See {Coroner}.
{Inquest of office}, an inquiry made, by authority or
direction of proper officer, into matters affecting the
rights and interests of the crown or of the state.
--Craig. Bouvier.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
inquest
n 1: an inquiry into the cause of an unexpected death
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