research

Etymology

Early Modern French rechercher (“to examine closely”), from Old French recerchier (“to seek, to look for”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɹəˈsɜːtʃ/, /ˈɹiː.sɜːtʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)tʃ
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɹi.sɚtʃ/, /ɹiˈsɝtʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

research (countable and uncountable, plural researches)

1. (uncountable) Diligent inquiry or examination to seek or revise facts, principles, theories, applications, etc.; laborious or continued search after truth.
   • 2012 January 1, Philip E. Mirowski, “Harms to Health from the Pursuit of Profits”, in American Scientist‎, volume 100, number 1, page 87:

     In an era when political leaders promise deliverance from decline through America’s purported preeminence in scientific research, the news that science is in deep trouble in the United States has been as unwelcome as a diagnosis of leukemia following the loss of health insurance.

2. (countable, dated) A particular instance or piece of research.
   • Macaulay

     The dearest interests of parties have frequently been staked on the results of the researches of antiquaries.

   • 1747, The Scots magazine (volume 9, page 567)

     The first step I took in this so necessary a research, was to examine the motives, the justice, the necessity and expediency of the revolution […]

   • 1883 December, “Zoology. A. General, including Embryology and Histology of the Vertebrata. Development of Muscle-fibres and their Union with Nerves”, in Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society, volume 3, number 6, page 821:

     Although very numerous researches have been made on the differentiation of striped muscles, and on the termination of their motor nerve-fibres, yet the multifarious observations have often been too incomplete to lead to any but conflicting and unsatisfactory theories.

Verb

research (third-person singular simple present researches, present participle researching, simple past and past participle researched)

1. (transitive) To search or examine with continued care; to seek diligently.
2. (intransitive) To make an extensive investigation into.
3. (transitive) To search again.

References

• “research” in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
• “research” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• "research" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.

Anagrams

• reachers, searcher

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology

From English research, from early Modern French rechercher (“to examine closely”), from Old French recerchier (“to seek, to look for”). Forms a doublet with Dutch recherche, which is a direct borrowing from French.

Noun

research f (uncountable, diminutive researchje n)

1. research

Usage notes

The plural is very rare or non-existent.

Synonyms

• onderzoek, speurwerk, vorsing, navorsing