Etymology of the word "research"

research, which first appeard in English in about 1577, comes from
Middle French recerche, which itself comes from Old French recercher
`seek out, search closely' (re- `intensive' + cercher `to seek out').
Cercher comes ultimately from Latin circare `go about, wander,' from
circus `circle.' The meaning `a careful search for facts' first appears
in English in the first half of the 17th century.

------

From the web site "Take Our Word For It" created by Melanie and Mike 

http://www.takeourword.com/imageand.html 

http://www.takeourword.com/et_q-s.html#research