Where does “persecute” come from?
Persecute comes from Middle French persécuter, meaning to pursue or harass relentlessly.
persecute (English): To pursue in a manner to injure, grieve, or...
Definitions
- To pursue in a manner to injure, grieve, or...
Ancestry of “persecute”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | persécuter | — |
| 2 | Ecclesiastical Latin | persecutor | pursuer; persecutor of Christians |
| 3 | Latin | persequor | I follow perseveringly, continue to follow;... |
| 4 | Latin | sequor | I follow, come or go after |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | sekʷōr | follow, come/go after |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sékʷetor | to be following |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |