quaerebat

Quaerebat is a Latin verb form meaning “was seeking” or “used to seek.” It is the imperfect indicative active form of the verb quaero, quaere, quaesivi, quaesitum, meaning to seek, inquire, or look for. Quaerebat is a third-person singular form in the imperfect tense, which in Latin indicates a past, ongoing, or habitual action. The imperfect forms of quaero follow the standard pattern of the third conjugation, with the ending -ebat in the third-person singular: quaerebat, quaerebas, quaerebat, quaerebamus, quaerebatis, quaerebant. The infinitive of the verb is quaerere, and the supine is quaesitum.

Usage and function: quaerebat appears in narrative and descriptive passages to describe past activity that was in progress. Its object is typically in the accusative and may be a direct object or a clause introduced by a question word in indirect questions. For example, in Marcus quaerebat causam, “Marcus was seeking a reason.” In longer constructions, it can introduce indirect questions such as Quaerebat quid faceret, “He was seeking what he should do.”

Etymology and related forms: quaerere derives from Latin roots meaning to seek or inquire, related to English quest and inquire through its descendant quaestio (question). The form quaerebat itself is part of the normal imperfect system used to convey past continuous or habitual action.

See also: quaero, quaerere; Latin verbs of the quaero class; indirect questions in Latin.