inquisition

Universal Words noun 1 (the Inquisition) [sing.] the organization set up by the Roman Catholic Church to punish people who opposed its beliefs, especially from the 15th to the 17th century 2 [C] (formal or humorous) a series of questions that sb asks you, especially when they ask them in an unpleasant way: She then subjected me to an inquisition about my romantic life.