Where does “prosecute” come from?
Prosecute derives from Latin prosecutus, past participle of prosequor (to pursue), from sequor (to follow) prefixed with pro- (forward), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots including per- and pr̥tós relating to forward motion and crossing.
prosecute (English): To start criminal proceedings against; To charge,...
Definitions
- To start criminal proceedings against; To charge,...
Ancestry of “prosecute”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | prōsecūtus | having escorted, accompanied |
| 2 | Latin | prōsequor | to escort, accompany |
| 3 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |