Lewis & Short

1. indāgo, āvi, ātum, āre (dep. form indagatur, Varr. L. L. 5, § 94 Müll.), v. a., to trace out, track, as dogs in hunting (syn.: vestigo, scrutor; class.).

  1. I. Lit.: canis natus ad indagandum, Cic. Fin. 2, 13, 39: feras, Varr. L. L. 5, § 94 Müll.: quae tactu quaeque naribus auribusque et oculis indagantur, Col. 3, 10, 9.
    So of hunting in gen.: bestiarum cubilia, Sen. Vit. Beat. 14, 4.
  2. II. Trop., to search into, investigate, explore; hunt for, strive to obtain: neu rem ipsam indaget, si, etc., Plaut. Trin. 3, 3, 26; cf.: eo si pacto posset indagarier mulier, be traced, id. Merc. 3, 4, 38: indagare et odorari quid cuique opus esset, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 54, § 135: indicia communis exitii, id. Mil. 37, 103: inusitatas vias, id. Or. 3, 11: de re publica, id. Att. 2, 4, 4: clementiam misericordiamque apud judices, Gell. 6, 3, 18: intervalla siderum a terra, Plin. 2, 21, 19, § 80: sepulchrum (Archimedis), Cic. Tusc. 5, 23, 64.

2. indāgo, ĭnis, f., an encircling, enclosing (mostly post-Aug.).

  1. I. Lit., of surrounding wild beasts with nets, in hunting: dum trepidant alae, saltusque indagine cingunt, Verg. A. 4, 121: densos indagine colles Claudere, Tib. 4, 3, 7: rates captae quasi per indaginem, Flor. 4, 2, 32: indaginis modo sylvas persultare, Tac. Agr. 37.
    1. B. Transf., an enclosing, surrounding of enemies: efferam gentem, ritu ferarum, quasi indagine debellabat, Flor. 4, 12, 48; cf. id. 3, 6, 11; so, velut indagine aliquem insidiis circumdare, Hirt. B. G. 8, 18; cf.: cum praemissus eques velut indagine dissipatos Samnites ageret, Liv. 7, 37, 14: vastaque feras indagine claudit, Luc. 6, 42: (delatores) in illa poenarum indagine inclusos, Plin. Pan. 35, 2.
      Of legacy-hunting: testamenta et orbos velut indagine capi, Tac. A. 13, 42.
  2. II. Trop., a searching into, examining after, investigation: multis persuasisse doctrinae indaginibus, Plin. 9, 7, 6, § 16: cupediarum, Gell. 7, 16, 6: ampliorem exposcere indaginem, Cod. Just. 4, 31, 14: consilium occulta scrutari indagine, Amm. 15, 5, 30.