Definition of "inquisition" []

• The act of inquiring into a matter; an investigation. See Synonyms at inquiry. (noun)
• Law An inquest. (noun)
• Law The verdict of a judicial inquiry. (noun)
• A tribunal formerly held in the Roman Catholic Church and directed at the suppression of heresy. (noun)
• An investigation that violates the privacy or rights of individuals. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Nothing quite says 'medieval' the way the word 'inquisition' does."
• "Nothing quite says medieval the way the word 'inquisition' does."
• "This Wall Street inquisition is just political theater."