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Inquiry vs Interrogatory - What's the difference?

inquiry | interrogatory | Synonyms |

As nouns the difference between inquiry and interrogatory

is that inquiry is the act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning while interrogatory is a formal question submitted to opposing party to answer, generally governed by court rule.

As an adjective interrogatory is

serving to interrogate; questioning.

inquiry

English

(wikipedia inquiry)

Alternative forms

* enquiry

Noun

(inquiries)
  • The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
  • Search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; as, physical inquiries.

    • Usage notes

    According to Fowler's Modern English Usage'' (1926), ''inquiry'' should be used in relation to a formal inquest, and ''enquiry'' to the act of questioning. Many (though not all) British writers maintain this distinction; the Oxford English Dictionary, in its entry not updated since 1900, lists ''inquiry'' and ''enquiry'' as equal alternatives, in that order. Some British dictionaries, such as ''Chambers 21st Century Dictionary'' [http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/features/chref/chref.py/main?title=21st&query=inquiry], present the two spellings as interchangeable variants in the general sense, but prefer ''inquiry'' for the "formal inquest" sense. In Australian English, ''inquiry'' represents a formal inquest (such as a government investigation) while ''enquiry'' is used in the act of questioning (eg: the customer enquired about the status of his loan application). Both spellings are current in Canadian English, where ''enquiry'' is often associated with scholarly or intellectual research. (See Pam Peters, ''The Cambridge Guide to English Usage , p. 282.) American English usually uses inquiry .

    References

    *

    interrogatory

    English

    Noun

    (interrogatories)
  • (legal) A formal question submitted to opposing party to answer, generally governed by court rule.
    • (Macaulay)
  • * 2013 , James J. Gross, It's Splitsville: Surviving Your Divorce (page 240)
    • If those attempts are unsuccessful, the attorney requesting the interrogatories may file a motion for sanctions with the court. The sanctions range from attorney fees to prohibiting the nonanswering party from presenting or defending claims.
  • A question; an interrogation.

    • References

    *

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Serving to interrogate; questioning.
    • an interrogatory glance