I.a seeking.
I. 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.—
II. 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.—
2. 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 prætor, Cic. Brut. 27, 106: “judex quaestionis,” the director of the criminal court under the presidency of the prætor, 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. —
B. Transf.
1. 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.—
2. 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.—
b. In partic., in rhet.
(α).
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. —
(β).
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.—
(γ).
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.
