inquiring
尋ねる
解説 Definition
inquiring は、inquire（尋ねる、問い合わせる）の現在分詞・動名詞です。やや改まった語で、情報を得るために質問する場面で使われます。
Inquiring means asking for information, often in a polite, formal, or systematic way. It is the present participle or gerund of inquire and commonly appears before about when the subject of the request is stated.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
inquiring は inquire「尋ねる・問い合わせる」の現在分詞・動名詞で、語末の e を落として -ing を付ける。ask よりやや改まっており、inquire about the schedule「時刻について問い合わせる」のように、必要な情報を正式に求める場面を結び付ける。query と同じ「答えを探す」感覚も手掛かりになる。
Use inquire as the base: it means to ask for information, usually more formally than ask. Drop the final e before adding -ing, giving inquiring. Picture a customer inquiring about a service or a caller inquiring about an application deadline. The common pattern is inquire about something, which keeps the focus on information being sought. You can also connect it with query: both carry the idea of searching for an answer. As a participle, inquiring describes the ongoing act; as a gerund, it can name that act of requesting information.
例文
She is inquiring about the train schedule.
彼女は列車の時刻について問い合わせています。
Several customers were inquiring about the new service.
数人の客が新しいサービスについて尋ねていました。
The office received a call from someone inquiring about the application deadline.
事務所には申請期限について問い合わせる人から電話がありました。
inquiring の類義語・関連語
対義語
紛らわしい語
inquiring の語源・成り立ち Etymology
inquiring は inquire の現在分詞で、語源はラテン語 inquirere「中へ探し求める」、in-「中へ」+ quaerere「求める」です。query や require と同根で、「答えを求めて探る」感覚から「尋ねる・問いただす」の意味になります。
Inquiring is formed from inquire by dropping the final e and adding -ing. Inquire entered English through French and ultimately comes from Latin inquirere, built from in-, expressing movement into or toward, and quaerere, “to seek or ask.” Its historical structure therefore suggests searching into a matter to obtain an answer. Query is related through the same Latin verb, which helps explain the word’s association with questions and investigation.
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