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Court of Inquiry

Court \Court\ (k[=o]rt), n. [OF. court, curt, cort, F. cour, LL. cortis, fr. L. cohors, cors, chors, gen. cohortis, cortis, chortis, an inclosure, court, thing inclosed, crowd, throng; co- + a root akin to Gr. chorto`s inclosure, feeding place, and to E. garden, yard, orchard. See Yard, and cf. Cohort, Curtain.]

  1. An inclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building, or by different building; also, a space opening from a street and nearly surrounded by houses; a blind alley.

    The courts of the house of our God.
    --Ps. cxxxv.

  2. And round the cool green courts there ran a row Of cloisters.
    --Tennyson.

    Goldsmith took a garret in a miserable court.
    --Macaulay.

    2. The residence of a sovereign, prince, nobleman, or other dignitary; a palace.

    Attends the emperor in his royal court.
    --Shak.

    This our court, infected with their manners, Shows like a riotous inn.
    --Shak.

  3. The collective body of persons composing the retinue of a sovereign or person high in authority; all the surroundings of a sovereign in his regal state.

    My lord, there is a nobleman of the court at door would speak with you.
    --Shak.

    Love rules the court, the camp, the grove.
    --Sir. W. Scott.

  4. Any formal assembling of the retinue of a sovereign; as, to hold a court.

    The princesses held their court within the fortress.
    --Macaulay.

  5. Attention directed to a person in power; conduct or address designed to gain favor; courtliness of manners; civility; compliment; flattery.

    No solace could her paramour intreat Her once to show, ne court, nor dalliance.
    --Spenser.

    I went to make my court to the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle.
    --Evelyn.

  6. (Law)

    1. The hall, chamber, or place, where justice is administered.

    2. The persons officially assembled under authority of law, at the appropriate time and place, for the administration of justice; an official assembly, legally met together for the transaction of judicial business; a judge or judges sitting for the hearing or trial of causes.

    3. A tribunal established for the administration of justice.

    4. The judge or judges; as distinguished from the counsel or jury, or both.

      Most heartily I do beseech the court To give the judgment.
      --Shak.

  7. The session of a judicial assembly.

  8. Any jurisdiction, civil, military, or ecclesiastical.

  9. A place arranged for playing the game of tennis; also, one of the divisions of a tennis court.

    Christian court, the English ecclesiastical courts in the aggregate, or any one of them.

    Court breeding, education acquired at court.

    Court card. Same as Coat card.

    Court circular, one or more paragraphs of news respecting the sovereign and the royal family, together with the proceedings or movements of the court generally, supplied to the newspapers by an officer specially charged with such duty. [Eng.]
    --Edwards.

    Court of claims (Law), a court for settling claims against a state or government; specif., a court of the United States, created by act of Congress, and holding its sessions at Washington. It is given jurisdiction over claims on contracts against the government, and sometimes may advise the government as to its liabilities. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

    Court day, a day on which a court sits to administer justice.

    Court dress, the dress prescribed for appearance at the court of a sovereign.

    Court fool, a buffoon or jester, formerly kept by princes and nobles for their amusement.

    Court guide, a directory of the names and adresses of the nobility and gentry in a town.

    Court hand, the hand or manner of writing used in records and judicial proceedings.
    --Shak.

    Court lands (Eng. Law), lands kept in demesne, -- that is, for the use of the lord and his family.

    Court marshal, one who acts as marshal for a court.

    Court party, a party attached to the court.

    Court rolls, the records of a court. See Roll.

    Court in banc, or Court in bank, The full court sitting at its regular terms for the hearing of arguments upon questions of law, as distinguished from a sitting at nisi prius.

    Court of Arches, audience, etc. See under Arches, Audience, etc.

    Court of Chancery. See Chancery, n.

    Court of Common pleas. (Law) See Common pleas, under Common.

    Court of Equity. See under Equity, and Chancery.

    Court of Inquiry (Mil.), a court appointed to inquire into and report on some military matter, as the conduct of an officer.

    Court of St. James, the usual designation of the British Court; -- so called from the old palace of St. James, which is used for the royal receptions, levees, and drawing-rooms.

    The court of the Lord, the temple at Jerusalem; hence, a church, or Christian house of worship.

    General Court, the legislature of a State; -- so called from having had, in the colonial days, judicial power; as, the General Court of Massachusetts. [U.S.]

    To pay one's court, to seek to gain favor by attentions. ``Alcibiades was assiduous in paying his court to Tissaphernes.''
    --Jowett.

    To put out of court, to refuse further judicial hearing.

Court of inquiry

Inquiry \In*quir"y\, n.; pl. Inquiries. [See Inquire.]

  1. The act of inquiring; a seeking for information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.

    He could no path nor track of foot descry, Nor by inquiry learn, nor guess by aim.
    --Spenser.

    The men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate.
    --Acts x. 17.

  2. Search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination into facts or principles; research; investigation; as, physical inquiries.

    All that is wanting to the perfection of this art will undoubtedly be found, if able men . . . will make inquiry into it.
    --Dryden.

    Court of inquiry. See under Court.

    Writ of inquiry, a writ issued in certain actions at law, where the defendant has suffered judgment to pass against him by default, in order to ascertain and assess the plaintiff's damages, where they can not readily be ascertained by mere calculation.
    --Burrill.

    Syn: Interrogation; interrogatory; question; query; scrutiny; investigation; research; examination.

Usage examples of "court of inquiry".

And the result of the consultation was, that a complaint and warrant for arson should be issued, and the arrest made by the sheriff, who should also have in his hands a civil process returnable to the court of Common Pleas, to serve on Gurley and his property, provided the proof elicited at the court of inquiry on the criminal charge should be such as to afford them any prospect of a recovery.

A way of proving to the galaxy at large that whatever the court of inquiry might have decided, I was-well, a force to be reckoned with, I suppose.

There's a court of inquiry being formed to investigate my actions.

The court of inquiry was said to be an informal one, but David noticed there were more stars than he had seen in one room in Vietnam for a long time.

Meeting the censure of his comrades, Admiral Troubridge demanded a Court of Inquiry which ordered his trial by court-martial in November, 1914, on the charge that “.

There's doing to be a court of inquiry and they want me to stick around for that.

Leighton's letter was a completely futile piece of writing, having regard for the present facts, but a Court of Inquiry who knew nothing of them would consider it eminently sane and sensible.

Ender had never spoken of it, nor had pictures of it been shown at the court of inquiry.

Ender had never seen it, and no pictures of it had been shown at the court of inquiry.

The contest was a bloody one: suffice it to say, that, finally, Smith, Rigdon, and many others were taken, and, at a court of inquiry, were remanded over for trial.

There was some peculiarly abominable quality about them which made their destruction seem almost a duty, and Johansen shews ingenuous wonder at the charge of ruthlessness brought against his party during the proceedings of the court of inquiry.