What does quire mean?
Quire is an uncommon verb with the sense of consulting, examining, or reading a document carefully. It can also mean seeking or obtaining something, especially by formal request, or making certain of a matter through investigation. The word appeared in legal, scholarly, and administrative English and conveys a careful, deliberate process of consulting sources rather than casual reading. Its present-day use is mainly literary or archaic, so it often adds an antique or ceremonious tone to a sentence. For example, someone might quire an archive, a register, or a collection of records to confirm a fact. Although require is sometimes confused with quire because of their similar spelling, the verbs have different meanings: require means to demand or need, while quire means to examine, consult, or investigate. The word is especially useful in historical writing, period fiction, and formal prose that seeks an elevated or traditional style.
To consult or examine a document, record, or other source carefully.
"He was required to quire the original ledger before approving the payment."
Chiefly literary, archaic, or historical; commonly associated with careful investigation of records.
To seek, request, or obtain something.
"The messenger was sent to quire the necessary documents."
This sense is uncommon today and has an archaic or formal character.
To make certain of a matter by investigation.
"The commission continued to quire the circumstances before issuing its report."
This usage is especially associated with formal, legal, and administrative prose.
Once common in English legal and scholarly prose, quire survives as a vivid reminder that reading and researching are forms of inquiry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quire come from?
Quire comes through Middle English from Old French forms meaning to seek or ask for, ultimately from Latin quaerere, “to seek, look for, or ask for.” The same Latin root produced English words including query, quest, inquire, acquire, and require. Its English use developed across meanings such as searching, consulting, and examining records.
Related word forms
How quire is actually used
Quire is now literary, archaic, and uncommon in ordinary conversation. Its older legal and administrative associations may also suggest careful official investigation or record-checking.
Easily confused with quire
Quire means to examine or consult a source, whereas require means to demand something or to be necessary.