Where does “prosecutor” come from?
Prosecutor comes from Latin prōsecūtor, one who pursues, from prōsequor meaning to follow or pursue, combining Latin prō with sequor meaning to follow, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European pro- and ultimately to the root per-.
prosecutor (English): a prosecuting attorney; a person, as a...
Definitions
- a prosecuting attorney; a person, as a...
Ancestry of “prosecutor”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | prosecutor | — |
| 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 |