• Query

    Pronunciation

    • IPA: /ˈkwɪəri/, /ˈkwÉ›ri/
    • Rhymes: -ɪəri, -É›ri

    Alternative forms

    Origin

    An anglicisation of quere, an obsolete variant form of Latin quaere, second-person singular present active imperative of quaerō ("seek, look for; ask"). Compare question.

    Full definition of query

    Noun

    query

    (plural queries)
    1. A question or inquiry.The teacher answered the student's query concerning biosynthesis.
    2. A question mark.
      • Oliver Sacks, AwakeningsShe had written in her diary: "I don't think I am in a concentration-camp??????", the queries growing larger and more numerous till they covered the entire page...
    3. (computing, databases) A set of instructions passed to a database.The database admin switched on query logging for debugging purposes.

    Verb

    1. (transitive) To ask, inquire.
    2. (intransitive) To ask a question.
    3. (transitive) To question or call into doubt.
      • 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 20, The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. No one queried it. It was in the classic pattern of human weakness, mean and embarrassing and sad.
    4. (computing, databases) To pass a query to a database to retrieve information.
      • 1999, Luciano Floridi, Philosophy and computing: an introduction, Linked tables can be accessed, queried, combined and reorganised much more flexibly and in a number of ways that may not be immediately predictable when the database is under construction.
    5. (transitive, internet) To send a private message to (a user on IRC).
      • 2000, "Phantom", Re: Uhm.. hi... I guess... (on newsgroup alt.support.boy-lovers)He parted the channel saying "SHUTUP!"... so I queried him, asking if there was something I could do.. maybe talk...
      • 2000, "Robert Erdec", Re: Help; mIRC32; unable to resolve server arnes.si (on newsgroup alt.irc.mirc)if you know someone who is in the channel, you can query them and ask for the key.

    Related terms

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