Inquest /(?)/

In·quest

Inquest

n.
  1. Inquiry; quest; search. [R.]
    The laborious and vexatious inquest that the soul must make after science.
  2. Judicial inquiry; official examination, esp. before a jury; as, a coroner's inquest in case of a sudden death. (Law)

Phrases & Compounds
Coroner's inquest
an inquest held by a coroner to determine the cause of any violent, sudden, or mysterious death. See Coroner.
Inquest of office
an inquiry made, by authority or direction of proper officer, into matters affecting the rights and interests of the crown or of the state.