enquere

Enquere is a historical English verb that is now largely obsolete. In surviving texts it appears as a variant spelling of the verb inquire or enquirer, conveying the sense of seeking information, asking questions, or investigating a matter. In modern English the standard spellings are inquire (American) and enquire (British). The form enquere is not commonly used today outside discussions of older manuscripts or philology.

Etymology and origins are tied to the same linguistic family as inquire and enquire, with roots traced to earlier Romance forms and the Latin word inquirere. The spelling variant enquere reflects historical orthographic variation rather than a distinct meaning. Because it occurs mainly in older or dialectal writings, its precise attestation varies by source.

Usage and status: today the word enquere appears predominantly in scholarly references to historical texts or in discussions of language change. When encountered in edited editions or linguistic histories, editors typically normalize the spelling to enquire or inquire to align with contemporary usage. It is not considered standard modern English.

Relation to related terms: the French noun enquête means a formal investigation and is etymologically related in sense but distinct in form and usage from the English verb. In English, the corresponding modern terms are enquire, inquire, or enquirer (the latter being a noun). The presence of enquere in a text is usually a signal of archaism or a textual variant rather than a separate lexical item.