Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Query for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Query" — noun or verb, pronounced /ˈkwɪəri/, with the stress on "que".
Narrator: A query is a question, especially one put to a database, search engine or official body.
Narrator: In plain English, a query is a formal question — the kind you type into a search bar or send to a help desk.
Narrator: It comes from the Latin quaere, meaning ask, the imperative form of quaerere, meaning to seek or inquire.
Narrator: "To submit a query" describes sending a question to a database or support team and waiting for a result.
Narrator: It differs from question because query is often more formal or technical, whereas question is the everyday word.
Narrator: "A database query" is a technical sense meaning a command written in a language like SQL to retrieve or update data.
Narrator: Computing, customer service, research and information retrieval all rely on the word query.
Narrator: So remember: a query is a formal question, from the Latin for ask.
Speaker A: Is a query just a question?
Speaker B: A formal one! QUERY comes from the Latin quaere, meaning ask, so it's a question put to a database, search engine or official body, not just any question.
Speaker A: So I run a query in a database?
Speaker B: Exactly — it's how you ask a computer for data!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "She raised a query"; "the query returned results"; "please direct your query here" — a question, a command and a routing.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't pluralise query as "querys", because the plural is queries, changing the y to i before es.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: "Question" the everyday cousin, "inquiry" the formal twin, "search" the digital alternative. The word keeps its precise charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "query" in AI prompts — useful for database-tutorial tools and chatbot-design apps.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame a search?
Speaker B: Right. For a database app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short SQL tutorial explaining how a query selects records by date, naming one clause used.
Speaker A: How about a support tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to frame a reply:
Prompt: Draft a help-desk reply to a customer query about a refund, mentioning one timeline and one document needed.
Speaker A: Could it help with a search bot?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame guidance:
Prompt: Summarise in two sentences how to refine a search query for better results, naming one operator like AND.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a chatbot chatbot, try this:
Prompt: Write a short design tip on how a chatbot should handle an ambiguous query, mentioning one clarifying question.
Query — meaning in Arabic & definition More Q courses GL Dictionary