quaestĭo, ōnis, f. [quaero], 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 ( Luc. ), 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 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. —
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.