prosecute

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English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin prōsecūtus, perfect participle of prōsequor. Doublet of pursue, from Old French. Compare also persecute.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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prosecute (third-person singular simple present prosecutes, present participle prosecuting, simple past and past participle prosecuted)

  1. (transitive, law) To start criminal proceedings against.
    to prosecute a man for trespass, or for a riot
  2. (transitive, law) To charge, try.
    • 1962 [1959], William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch, New York: Grove Press, page 8:
      The Vigilante is prosecuted in Federal Court under a lynch bill and winds up in a Federal Nut House specially designed for the containment of ghosts []
  3. To seek to obtain by legal process.
    to prosecute a right or a claim in a court of law
  4. (transitive) To pursue something to the end.
    to prosecute a scheme, hope, or an investigation

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Anagrams

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Latin

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Participle

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prōsecūte

  1. vocative masculine singular of prōsecūtus