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query

Syllabification: (que·ry)
Pronunciation: /ˈkwi(ə)rē/
Translate query | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of query

noun (plural queries)

  • a question, especially one addressed to an official or organization:a spokeswoman said queries could not be answered until Monday
  • used in writing or speaking to question the accuracy of a following statement or to introduce a question.
  • chiefly Printing a question mark.

verb (queries, querying, queried)

[reporting verb]
  • ask a question about something, especially in order to express one’s doubts about it or to check its validity or accuracy: [with clause]:many people queried whether any harm had been done [with object]:he queried the medical database [with direct speech]:“Why not?” he queried
  • [with object] chiefly North American put a question or questions to (someone):when these officers were queried, they felt unhappy

Origin:

mid 17th century: anglicized form of the Latin imperative quaere!, used in the 16th century in English as a verb in the sense 'inquire' and as a noun meaning 'query', from Latin quaerere 'ask, seek'

Spelling rule

If a word ends in a consonant plus -y (as in defy), change the -y to an -i before adding any ending (unless the ending already begins with an -i): (queries, querying, queried).

query in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of query in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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