In-vĕs'ti-gāte, v. t.

v. t. [imp. & p. p. INVESTIGATED; p. pr. & vb. n. INVESTIGATING.] [Lat. investigare, investigatum, from prefix in and vestigare, to track, trace, from vestigium, footstep, track; It. investigare, Sp. & Pg. investigar, Pr. investiguer.] To follow up; to pursue; to search into; to inquire and examine into with care and accuracy; to find out by careful inquisition; as, to investigate the powers and forces of nature; to investigate the causes of natural phenomena.