enquiring

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
enquire/ɪnˈkwʌɪə(r)/

▶verb chiefly Brit.

• 1 ask for information.

  ■ (enquire after) ask about the health and well-being of.

  ■ (as adj. enquiring) (of a look) suggesting that information is sought.

• 2 (enquire into) investigate.

– derivatives
enquirer noun,
enquiringly adverb.

– origin ME enquere, from OFr. enquerre, based on L. inquirere (based on quaerere ‘seek’).

usage: The traditional distinction between enquire and inquire is that enquire is to be used for general senses of ‘ask’, while inquire is reserved for uses meaning ‘make a formal investigation’. In practice, however, enquire (and enquiry) is more common in British English while inquire (and inquiry) is more common in US English, but otherwise there is little discernible distinction in the way the words are used.