| Library / English Dictionary |
INQUISITORIAL
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Having the authority to conduct official investigations
Example:
the inquisitorial power of the Senate
Classified under:
Similar:
inquiring (given to inquiry)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Marked by inquisitive interest; especially suggestive of an ecclesiastical inquisitor
Example:
a practical police force with true inquisitorial talents
Classified under:
Similar:
inquiring (given to inquiry)
Derivation:
Inquisitor (an official of the ecclesiastical court of the Inquisition)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Especially indicating a form of prosecution in which proceedings are secret and the accused is questioned by a prosecutor who acts also as the judge
Classified under:
Relational adjectives (pertainyms)
Antonym:
accusatorial (specifically indicating a form of prosecution in which one is publicly accused of and tried for a crime and in which the judge is not also the prosecutor)
Pertainym:
inquisitor (a questioner who is excessively harsh)
Derivation:
inquisitor (a questioner who is excessively harsh)
