Where does “pursue” come from?
Pursue comes from Middle English pursuen, from Anglo-Norman pursure, from Vulgar Latin prosequere, from Latin prosequor meaning to follow after, derived from sequor meaning to follow, with pro meaning forward, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pro- and bʰuH-.
pursue (English): To follow urgently, originally with intent to...
Definitions
- To follow urgently, originally with intent to...
Ancestry of “pursue”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pursuen | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | pursure | to pursue; to chase; to follow |
| 3 | Latin | prōsequor | to escort, accompany |
| 4 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |