Definition of "inquest" []

• Law A judicial inquiry into a matter usually held before a jury, especially an inquiry into the cause of a death. (noun)
• Law A jury making such an inquiry. (noun)
• Law The finding based on such an inquiry. (noun)
• An investigation or inquiry. See Synonyms at inquiry. (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.

• "At what they called the inquest your presence was surely not necessary!"
• "After all, the inquest is often the only public forum in which contentious deaths such as those in custody are subjected to public scrutiny."
• "The inquest is expected to be enormously difficult for Harwood and the force, and will see him called to face questions in public about his conduct."