Researches

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈsɜːt͡ʃɪz/

Definitions

1. The organized inquiry conducted to augment knowledge encompasses exploring facts, developing new information, and performing thorough investigations into specific subjects
2. A systematic examination to discover or clarify facts includes gathering new data, enhancing understanding, and engaging in comprehensive studies
3. An orderly and detailed attempt to gather new information or deepen understanding in a particular field

Etymology: "Researches" is simply the plural of "research," so its story is the story of the noun. The root idea is a search repeated and gone over again: the prefix "re-" ("again") joined to "search," which came into Old French as "recerchier," meaning "to seek" or "to look for." Early Modern French developed "rechercher," meaning "to examine closely," and English took the idea of thorough, careful examination from that line. The surprise is how much the modern sense depends on the prefix. A plain search looks for something lost; "research" implies going back over the ground carefully, checking and rechecking until the picture is clear. That added sense of repetition and thoroughness is what turned an ordinary act of looking into the careful, methodical work the word now names.

Synonyms: studies, investigations, examinations

Antonyms: ignorance, inattention