Reinvestigation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of examining something again with the intent to uncover new information or confirm previous findings
2. a thorough review or analysis conducted after an initial inquiry has been completed
3. the process of re-evaluating evidence or perspectives in light of additional context or developments

Etymology: "Reinvestigation" is a plain formation: the prefix "re-", meaning "again", attached to "investigation". The prefix runs back through Latin "re-", which is itself the same element that appears in words such as "return" and "review", so the word carries the idea of doing the same search once more. "Investigation" came into English from Old French, which took it from Latin "investigatio", a noun from "investigare", "to track or search out", built on "vestigium", "footprint" or "trace". The old sense of the word is therefore physical: following tracks along the ground. The combination with "re-" is a straightforward one, and its meaning follows the parts directly. A reinvestigation is an investigation undertaken a second time, whether to test an earlier conclusion or to look for facts that were missed. The word belongs to the same family as "reexamine" and "reconsider", which apply the same prefix to other verbs.

Synonyms: reexamination, review, analysis, inspection, scrutiny