quaestĭo (noun F) : quaero
* A seeking.
* In gen. (Plautin.): cave, fuas mi in quaestione,lest you suffer yourself to be to seek, lest I have to look after you,Plaut. Pers. 1, 1, 52: tibi ne in quaestione essemus,id. Capt. 2, 2, 3; id. Ps. 2, 2, 68.
* In partic., an inquiry, investigation, a questioning, question, subject of inquiry: quaestio est appetitio cognitionis, quaestionisque finis inventio,Cic. Ac. 2, 8, 26; 2, 36, 115: quae veri simillima (sententia sit), magna quaestio est,id. Tusc. 1, 11, 23; id. Fin. 2, 11, 34: rem in disceptationem quaestionemque vocare,to investigate,id. de Or. 3, 32, 129: res in quaestione versatur,is under investigation,id. Clu. 58, 159: de moribus ultima fiet quaestio,Juv. 3, 141: res in quaestionem venit,comes under investigation,Quint. 5, 14, 16: modo aliquam quaestionem poëticam ei proponeret,Nep. Att. 20, 2; cf. Cic. Att. 7, 19 fin.; Sen. Ben. 5, 8, 6; id. Ep. 48, 1; Suet. Tib. 56: quaestionem instituere,to institute an investigation,Quint. 7, 1, 6: quaestionem solvere,Sen. Ep. 48, 11; Quint. 5, 10, 26.
* A public judicial investigation, examination by torture, a criminal inquiry, inquisition; the crime is usu. constr. with de: cum praetor quaestionem inter sicarios exercuisset,instituted a trial for assassination,Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 54: verberibus ac tormentis quaestionem habuit pecuniae publicae,id. Phil. 11, 2, 5: quaestionem mortis paternae de servis paternis habere,id. Rosc. Am. 28, 78: quaestionem fugitare,id. ib. 28, 78: servos in quaestionem polliceri,id. ib. 28, 77: quaestionem ferre in aliquem,to appoint, institute, make a motion for,id. de Or. 1, 53, 227: habere ex aliquo,Liv. 33, 28: facere alicui,against any one,Dig. 34, 3, 20: quaestionem de furto constituere,Cic. Clu. 64, 181: quaestionem instituere de morte alicujus,id. ib. 64, 181: quaestionem de morte viri habere,id. ib. 65, 182; 63, 176: quaestionem habere de servis in caput filii,id. ib. 63, 176: ad quaestionem abripi,to examination by torture,id. ib. 33, 89: alicui servum in quaestionem ferre,id. ib. 64, 181: postulare servum in quaestionem,id. ib. 64, 181: quaestiones severius exercere,Liv. 9, 34: quaestioni praeesse,to conduct a trial as judge,Cic. Rosc. Am. 4, 11: quaestiones perpetuae, the inquisitions concerning certain crimes (repetundarum, majestatis, de falso, de sicariis, de injuriis, etc.), conducted annually, after 605 A. U. C., by a standing commission, and presided over by the praetor, Cic. Brut. 27, 106: judex quaestionis,the director of the criminal court under the presidency of the praetor,id. Clu. 54, 148; 33, 89; id. Brut. 76, 264: quaestiones extraordinariae,trials out of the common course, held under a special commission,Liv. 39, 14; so, quaestio nova,Cic. Mil. 5, 13: A QVAESTIONIBVS,an attendant in examinations, a torturer, inquisitor,Inscr. Grut. 545, 6; 560, 1.
* Transf.
* The court, the judges: dimittere eo tempore quaestionem,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 30, § 74: totam quaestionem a severitate ad clementiam transtulit,Val. Max. 8, 1, 6.
* The subject of investigation, the matter, case, question: perdifficilis et perobscura quaestio est de naturā deorum,Cic. N. D. 1, 1, 1: dividere totam de dis immortalibus quaestionem in partis quattuor,id. ib. 2, 1, 3: quaestio proposita,Quint. 9, 2, 39.
* In partic., in rhet.
* The rhetorical subject of debate: quaestionum duo sunt genera: alterum infinitum, alterum definitum. Definitum est, quod ὑπόθεσιν Graeci, nos causam: infinitum, quod θέσιν illi appellant, nos propositum possumus nominare, Cic. Top. 21, 79.
* The main point in a disputed matter, the issue in a cause: quaestio est quae ex conflictione causarum gignitur controversia, hoc modo: Non jure fecisti: jure feci. Causarum autem haec est conflictio, in quā constitutio constat; ex eā igitur nascitur controversia, quam quaestionem dicimus, hoc modo: jurene fecerit,Cic. Inv. 1, 13, 18; cf. id. ib. 1, 6, 8.
* A question, a disputed point, quaestio est, it is doubtful, may be disputed: sapientia efficit sapientis sola per se: beatos efficiat necne sola per se quaestio est,Cic. Top. 15, 60; id. Tusc. 4, 13, 29; id. Inv. 2, 20, 60: quaestio est, an, etc.,Quint. 7, 3, 22; cf.: nulla quaestio est,Aug. Retract. 1, 19, 6; cf. also: in quaestione est,Plin. 11, 17, 18, § 57; 10, 22, 27, § 52: quaestionis est immensae,id. 7, 28, 29, § 101; 28, 2, 3, § 10.