inquisito

suspect

noun een-kwee-ZEE-toh Rare

Origin: From Latin inquisitus (investigated).

Also means

person under investigation

Usage Note

L'inquisito is a legal term for a person formally under investigation but not yet tried. It is more precise than the colloquial sospettato ('suspect'). Feminine: l'inquisita; plural: gli inquisiti. In Italian legal proceedings, indagato is a near-synonym at the pre-trial stage.

Examples

"Il giudice ha interrogato l'inquisito per ore."

Natural Translation

The judge questioned the suspect for hours.

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