Where does “pursuing” come from?
Pursuing 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.
pursuing (English): present participle of pursue; pursuit
Definitions
- present participle of pursue; pursuit
Ancestry of “pursuing”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pursue | To follow urgently, originally with intent to... |
| 2 | Middle English | pursuen | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | pursure | to pursue; to chase; to follow |
| 4 | Latin | prōsequor | to escort, accompany |
| 5 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |