Other forms: prosecuted, prosecuting, prosecutes
To prosecute is to bring somebody to court and argue against them. Prosecute the case, prosecuted for fraud, decline to prosecute.
The decision rests on evidence and public interest, not on certainty of guilt, which is why cases are dropped that everyone believes true. It also has an old general sense of carrying something through — prosecute a war. Note persecute, which is a different word.
1verbprosecuteTo bring somebody to court and argue against them.
“Shoplifters will be prosecuted, said the sign by the door.”
prosecute is a legal action.
It is the same Latin as pursue: to follow after. To prosecute somebody is to pursue them all the way into court, and not stop until the verdict.
hooks ontopursue
Latin prosequi means to follow up or pursue — pro, forward, plus sequi, to follow. Pursue is the same word.
Proto-Indo-European
*per-
Latin
prōsecūtus
English, today
prosecute
Borrowed from Latin prōsecūtus, perfect participle of prōsequor. a doublet of pursue, from Old French. Compare also persecute.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA