investigare

Investigare is a Latin verb meaning “to investigate,” “to examine thoroughly,” or “to search into.” It is a first-conjugation verb, with principal parts investigō, investigāre, investigāvī, investigātum. The present active infinitive is investigāre, and the verb forms regularly reflect typical 1st-conjugation patterns (e.g., investigat, investigō, investigāvī). The present participle is investigāns and the perfect passive participle is investigātus. The related noun is investigātiō, denoting an act of investigation or inquiry.

In classical and late Latin, investigāre is used in legal, scholarly, and rhetorical contexts to denote inquiry into facts, causes, or evidence. It can govern a direct object in the accusative (e.g., causam investigat, “he investigates the case”) and may take infinitival or clause complements (e.g., de re investiganda, “to inquire into the matter”). The verb also yields the present participle and passive participle forms for descriptive or perfective uses.

Derived forms and related terms include the noun investigātiō (investigation) and participles such as investigāns (investigating) and investigātus (investigated). The sense and morphology of investigāre have influenced later Latin and contributed to the vocabulary of the Romance languages; English inherits the verb “investigate” and the noun “investigation” from this Latin root.

In modern usage, investiga remains primarily a scholarly or historical reference to Latin grammar and usage, while contemporary legal and investigative language often uses the English equivalents.