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court of inquiry

American  

noun

  1. a military board or agency created to investigate and report on certain military matters, as an accusation against an officer.


court of inquiry British  

noun

  1. a group of people appointed to investigate the causes of a disaster, accident, etc

  2. a military court set up to inquire into a military matter such as a failure of equipment or procedure

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of court of inquiry

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"A court of inquiry has been stood up to establish what caused this terrible incident," said Judith Collins, New Zealand’s first female defence minister.

From BBC

The pilot ejected safely and sustained minor injuries in the process, the air force said, adding that a court of inquiry had been set up to investigate the cause of the accident.

From Reuters

“There was a Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission. There was a so-called Army Court of inquiry. There were a couple of other commissions set up,” said Cronin-Furman, who is now a political science professor at University College London.

From New York Times

The Indian Air Force said in a statement on Tuesday: "A Court of Inquiry, set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile."

From Reuters

The measures taken by India in the aftermath of the incident and the subsequent findings and punishments handed by the so-called internal court of inquiry are totally unsatisfactory, deficient and inadequate, it added.

From Reuters