Other forms: persecuted, persecuting, persecutes
To persecute is to treat somebody cruelly because of who they are. Persecute a minority, religiously persecuted, persecute the group.
It is systematic and because of an identity, which is what separates it from bullying or from prosecution. In refugee law, a well-founded fear of being persecuted is the test for asylum, and the word carries that legal weight.
1verbpersecuteTo treat somebody cruelly because of who they are.
“For centuries, the group was persecuted for its religion and forced to worship in secret.”
persecute is a mistreating.
Latin persequi means to pursue — per, through, plus sequi, to follow. Prosecute is the same verb.
Proto-Indo-European
*sekʷ-
Latin
persequor — follow up, pursue
Ecclesiastical Latin
persecutor
Middle French
persécuter
English, today
persecute
Borrowed from Middle French persécuter, from Ecclesiastical Latin persecutor, from Latin persequor (“follow up, pursue”), from per + sequor (English sequel). Compare prosecute. Cf. also pursue.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA