the.com/inquest

means A formal inquiry, often before a jury, held to establish the facts and cause of a death — or more loosely, any searching investigation into how something went wrong.

from From Old French enqueste, 'inquiry' or 'search,' rooted in Latin inquirere — 'in-' (into) plus 'quaerere' (to seek, to ask). The same quaerere gives us 'question' and 'query,' so an inquest is literally a formal seeking-into, a sanctioned chase after answers. It entered English legal language in medieval times, already carrying the weight of courts and coroners, which is why it still sounds like a word wearing black.