\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.
         The laborious and vexatious inquest that the soul
         must make after science.              --South.
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 matterm 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.
{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.