investigation

Definitions

in- (into) + vestig (footprint, track) + -ation (the act of) = 'the act of following the footprints in.' Latin vestīgāre meant to track an animal or person by the marks they left; investigation is the organized, modern version of that — tracking down the facts of a case wherever the trail of evidence leads.

Why It Means This

Underneath this very official-sounding word sits a footprint. Roman hunters would vestīgāre — follow the prints an animal left in the ground; add in- ('into') and you get 'tracking the trail inward.' That is still exactly what an investigation does: it follows clues, one after another, to reach the truth. The word has fully shed its hunting image, but the logic — follow the marks left behind — is unchanged.

Common Collocations

• 1.criminal investigation刑事调查
• 2.ongoing investigation持续的调查
• 3.under investigation在调查中
• 4.launch an investigation发起调查
• 5.conduct an investigation进行调查

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Police have launched a full investigation into the fire.

• 2.

  The matter is still under investigation, so no one will comment.

• 3.

  Her investigation uncovered serious flaws in the safety system.

• 4.

  The report calls for an independent investigation of the accident.

Easily Confused

investigation vs inquiry: an inquiry is a broad asking-around to understand a situation (a public inquiry, a line of inquiry); an investigation is more targeted and evidence-driven, usually to establish facts about a specific crime or wrongdoing. A crime gets an investigation; a general question gets an inquiry.