quest

[ kwest ]

/ kwɛst /

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See synonyms for: quest / quested / questing / quests on Thesaurus.com

noun

a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something: a quest for uranium mines;a quest for knowledge.

Classical and Medieval Legend. an adventurous expedition undertaken by a knight or knights to secure or achieve something: the quest of the Holy Grail.

those engaged in such an expedition.

British Dialect. inquest.

Obsolete. a jury of inquest.

verb (used without object)

to search; seek (often followed by for or after): to quest after hidden treasure.

to go on a quest.

Hunting. (of a dog)

to search for game.
to bay or give tongue in pursuit of game.

verb (used with object)

to search or seek for; pursue.

OTHER WORDS FOR quest

1 hunt, pursuit, search, seeking; journey, mission, undertaking.

See synonyms for quest on Thesaurus.com

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of quest

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English noun queste, from Old French, from Latin quaesīta, feminine past participle of quaerere “to seek”; Middle English verb derivative of the noun

historical usage of quest

The Middle English noun quest, originally meaning “inquest, judicial inquiry,” also, in hunting, “a search after game, baying of hounds,” comes partly from Old French queste with the same meanings. Quest also comes from Medieval Latin questa, quaesta, short for rēs quaesita, “a thing sought out, a question,” from the feminine past participle of quaerere “to try to find, seek, seek out.”
Quest in the hunting sense “baying of hounds” first appears in the wonderful Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (about 1390). In Arthurian and chivalric romances, quest in the sense “an expedition undertaken by a knight or band of knights to attain a specific goal” dates from Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur (1485).

OTHER WORDS FROM quest

quester, nounquest·ing·ly, adverbun·quest·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quest in a sentence

The long-standing quest for a quantum description of gravity becomes a matter of identifying the qubit entanglement pattern that encodes the particular kind of space-time fabric found in the actual universe.
What Is a Particle?|Natalie Wolchover|November 12, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Shortly after, you get a journal that helps you in your quest because it holds a map of the island and dossiers on Bugsnax along with the more human characters you meet.
‘Bugsnax’ is charming and funny, but sapped by vexing gameplay|Harold Goldberg|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
It is the strongest signal yet that the unprecedented quest to develop a vaccine that could help bring the pandemic to an end might succeed, breaking every scientific speed record.
Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine is more than 90 percent effective in first analysis, company reports|Carolyn Y. Johnson|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
Yet both species of scientist are driven by a desire to discover, and a refusal to quit despite the difficulty of a quest that can take decades and promises no sure rewards.
In praise of serendipity — and scientific obsession|Nancy Shute|November 6, 2020|Science News

There’s more to it, though — the cards can also be used as “deep links” to game features like multiplayer, quests in progress, quick travel locations, even hints.
Review: Sony’s PlayStation 5 is here, but next-generation gaming is still on its way|Devin Coldewey|November 6, 2020|TechCrunch
Stanhope was unwilling to submit to the curtailment of his profits, which necessarily followed the appointment of de Quester.
The History of the British Post Office|Joseph Clarence Hemmeon
There were now three claimants for the place, Frizell, Witherings, and de Quester.
The History of the British Post Office|Joseph Clarence Hemmeon
De Quester also published a statement of the days of departure of the regular posts with foreign letters.
The History of the British Post Office|Joseph Clarence Hemmeon
The proceeds from de Quester's rates, which went into effect from this year, may possibly have gone to the Post Office.
The History of the British Post Office|Joseph Clarence Hemmeon
The nation of scholars pictured the quester as a student, not as a knight.
Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail|Alfred Nutt

British Dictionary definitions for quest

quest

/ (kwɛst) /

noun

the act or an instance of looking for or seeking; searcha quest for diamonds

(in medieval romance) an expedition by a knight or company of knights to accomplish some prescribed task, such as finding the Holy Grail

the object of a search; goal or targetmy quest is the treasure of the king

rare a collection of alms

verb (mainly intr)

(foll by for or after) to go in search (of)

to go on a quest

(of gun dogs or hounds)

to search for game
to bay when in pursuit of game

rare to collect alms

(also tr) archaic to go in search of (a thing); seek or pursue

Derived forms of quest

quester, nounquesting, adjectivequestingly, adverb

Word Origin for quest

C14: from Old French queste, from Latin quaesita sought, from quaerere to seek

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with quest

quest

see under in search of.

quest

OTHER WORDS FOR quest

Origin of quest

historical usage of quest

OTHER WORDS FROM quest

Words related to quest

How to use quest in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quest

Derived forms of quest

Word Origin for quest

Other Idioms and Phrases with quest