research

Etymology

Early Modern French rechercher (“to examine closely”), from Old French recerchier (“to seek, to look for”).

noun

1. (uncountable, countable in some dialects) Diligent inquiry or examination to seek or revise facts, principles, theories, applications, etc. (that are currently available, or that are familiar to one's self).
   In an era when political leaders promise deliverance from decline through America’s purported preeminence in scientific research, the news that science is in deep trouble in the United States has been as unwelcome as a diagnosis of leukemia following the loss of health insurance. 2012-01, Philip E. Mirowski, “Harms to Health from the Pursuit of Profits”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 2012-04-04, page 87
   The research station that houses Wang and his team is outside Lijiang, a city of about 1.2 million people. File:The research station that houses Wang and his team is outside Lijiang.ogg
2. (countable, dated) A particular instance or piece of research.
   The first step I took in this so necessary a research, was to examine the motives, the justice, the necessity and expediency of the revolution[…] 1747, The Scots magazine, volume 9, page 567
   Although very numerous researches have been made on the differentiation of striped muscles, and on the termination of their motor nerve-fibres, yet the multifarious observations have often been too incomplete to lead to any but conflicting and unsatisfactory theories. 1883 December, “Zoology. A. General, including Embryology and Histology of the Vertebrata. Development of Muscle-fibres and their Union with Nerves”, in Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society, volume 3, number 6, page 821

verb

1. (transitive) To search or examine with continued care; to seek diligently.
2. (intransitive) To make an extensive investigation into.
3. (transitive) To search again.