investigator

English

Etymology

Attested in the mid‐16th century; from Latin investigator, from investigare, equivalent to investigate +‎ -or.

Noun

investigator (plural investigators)

1. One who investigates.

   Synonyms: detective, dick, gumshoe, (obsolete) indagator, private eye, sleuth

Hyponyms

• principal investigator

Derived terms

• coinvestigator
• cyberinvestigator
• investigatress
• principal investigator
• private investigator
• subinvestigator

 

Related terms

• investigatrix (feminine)
• reinvestigator

Translations

one who investigates

• Armenian: հետազոտող (hetazotoġ), ուսումնասիրող (usumnasiroġ), քննիչ (hy) (kʻnničʻ)
• Azerbaijani: müstəntiq
• Basque: ikerlari (eu), ikertzaile (eu), aztertzaile
• Belarusian: сле́дчы m (sljédčy), сле́дчая f (sljédčaja), сьле́дчы m (sʹljédčy) (Taraškievica), сьле́дчая f (sʹljédčaja) (Taraškievica)
• Bulgarian: сле́довател (bg) m (slédovatel), сле́дователка f (slédovatelka), изсле́довател m (izslédovatel), изсле́дователка f (izslédovatelka)
• Catalan: investigador (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 調查者／调查者 (zh) (diàocházhě)

• Czech: vyšetřovatel (cs) m, vyšetřovatelka f
• Dutch: onderzoeker (nl) m
• Finnish: tutkija (fi), selvittäjä (fi), selvitysmies
• French: enquêteur (fr) m, enquêtrice (fr) f, investigateur (fr)
• Galician: investigador (gl) m
• German: Ermittler (de) m, Ermittlerin (de) f
• Gothic: 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍃 n (sōkareis)
• Hungarian: nyomozó (hu)
• Indonesian: penyidik (id)
• Japanese: 捜査員 (そうさいん, sōsain)
• Khmer: វិចារកៈ (km) (vicaaraʼkaʼ)
• Korean: 수사관(搜査官) (ko) (susagwan), 조사관(調査管) (josagwan)
• Latin: inquīsītor m, indāgātor m, indāgātrix f, investīgātor m
• Macedonian: истра́жител m (istrážitel), и́следник m (íslednik), истра́жувач m (istrážuvač)
• Malay: penyiasat
• Maori: kaimātai, kaitūhura, kairapuhara (refers to criminal investigations.)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: etterforsker m

• Persian: کاراگاه (kârâgâh)
• Portuguese: investigador (pt) m, investigadora f
• Romanian: investigator (ro) m, anchetator (ro) m
• Russian: (criminal investigator) сле́дователь (ru) m (slédovatelʹ), сле́довательница (ru) f (slédovatelʹnica), рассле́дователь (ru) m (rasslédovatelʹ), рассле́довательница (ru) f (rasslédovatelʹnica)
• Slovak: vyšetrovateľ m, vyšetrovateľka f
• Spanish: investigador (es) m, investigadora (es) f
• Swahili: mchunguzi (sw)
• Swedish: utredare (sv) c
• Thai: ผู้สอบสวน
• Turkish: araştırıcı (tr), araştırmacı (tr), soruşturmacı (tr)
• Ukrainian: слі́дчий m (slídčyj), слі́дча f (slídča)

References

• “investigator”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “investigator”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “investigator”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Latin

Etymology 1

From investīgō +‎ -tor.

Noun

investīgātor m (genitive investīgātōris, feminine investīgātrīx); third declension

1. investigator, researcher

   Synonym: indāgātor

   • 2018, Tuomo Pekkanen, Nova formicae species [1], Nuntii Latini 27.4.2018:

     Grex investigatorum in Borneo novam formicae speciem invenit, quae se explodendo communitatem suam defendit.

     A group of researchers in Borneo has found a new species of ant which defends its nest by exploding.

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	investīgātor	investīgātōrēs
genitive	investīgātōris	investīgātōrum
dative	investīgātōrī	investīgātōribus
accusative	investīgātōrem	investīgātōrēs
ablative	investīgātōre	investīgātōribus
vocative	investīgātor	investīgātōrēs

Descendants

• Catalan: investigador
• French: investigateur
• Galician: investigador
• Italian: investigatore
• Ladino: investigador
• Portuguese: investigador
• Romanian: investigator
• Spanish: investigador

Etymology 2

Verb

investīgātor

1. second/third-person singular future passive imperative of investīgō

References

• “investigator”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “investigator”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French investigateur, from Latin investigator. Equivalent to investiga +‎ -tor.

Adjective

investigator m or n (feminine singular investigatoare, masculine plural investigatori, feminine and neuter plural investigatoare)

1. investigating

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	investigator		investigatoare		investigatori	investigatoare
	definite	investigatorul		investigatoarea		investigatorii	investigatoarele
genitive- dative	indefinite	investigator		investigatoare		investigatori	investigatoare
	definite	investigatorului		investigatoarei		investigatorilor	investigatoarelor

Noun

investigator m (plural investigatori, feminine equivalent investigatoare)

1. investigator

Derived terms

• investigare
• investigație