quest
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a long and difficult search for something, often something special or important.
n.a long or arduous search for something; often used to describe a heroic or ambitious mission.
Simple“The knight went on a dangerous quest to find the lost crown.”
In context“The scientist dedicated her entire career to the quest for a sustainable and cheap energy source that could replace fossil fuels.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'for'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
v.to go on a journey or search for something important.
v.to search for or seek out a specific goal or object. Often used intransitively with 'for'.
Simple“The explorers continued to quest for the hidden city deep in the jungle.”
In context“In many classic myths, the hero must quest across distant lands to prove their worthiness before the gods.”
UsageThe verb is often intransitive and takes the preposition 'for'.
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.a specific task or mission you must complete in a video game to get a reward.
n.a specific mission or objective within a role-playing game that a character must complete to advance the plot or earn rewards.
Simple“I need to finish one more quest before I can level up my character.”
In context“The game features hundreds of side quests that allow players to explore the world's lore without following the main storyline.”
Usage quest to undermine
“In his quest to save the birds he visits markets, buses and public spaces to spread the word: "I tell them that vulture is helpful to human life".”
“Aviv compassionately chronicles her mother’s desperate quest to find her.”
From Middle English quest, queste; partly from Anglo-Norman queste, Old French queste (“acquisition, search, hunt”), and partly from their source, Latin quaesta (“tribute, tax, inquiry, search”), noun use of quaesita, the feminine past participle of quaerere (“to ask, seek”).
Blend of quiz + test, to avoid using the word test.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.