Standard Lemma guide

percontation

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: pûr'kŏntāʹshən
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌpɜːkɒnˈteɪʃn̩/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌpɝkənˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən

1

noun

Meaning 1

an enquiry

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: formal, obsolete, rare

Examples

  • [Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, "Percontation" percontation noun per·con·ta·tion ˌpərˌkän‧ˈtāshən plural -s archaic : an act or process of questioning : inquiry]

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A question which cannot properly be given a one-word answer like “yes” or “no”.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: formal, obsolete, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin percontatiō (“inquiry, questioning”), from percontor (“to interrogate, investigate”) + -tiō.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: enquête — question which cannot properly be given a one-word answer
  • German: Nachforschung — question which cannot properly be given a one-word answer
  • German: Nachfrage — question which cannot properly be given a one-word answer
  • Italian: interrogazione — question which cannot properly be given a one-word answer
  • Portuguese: busca — question which cannot properly be given a one-word answer
  • Portuguese: interrogação — question which cannot properly be given a one-word answer
  • Welsh: ymchwiliad — question which cannot properly be given a one-word answer
  • Welsh: ymofyniad — question which cannot properly be given a one-word answer