to institute legal proceedings against (a person).
b.
to seek to enforce or obtain by legal process.
c.
to conduct criminal proceedings in court against.
2.
to follow up or carry forward something undertaken or begun, usually to its completion: to prosecute a war.
3.
to carry on or practice.
–verb (used without object)
4.
Law.
a.
to institute and carry on a legal prosecution.
b.
to act as prosecutor.
Origin: 1400–50; late ME prosecuten to follow up, go on with < L prōsecūtus, ptp. of prōsequī to pursue, proceed with, equiv. to prō-pro-1+ secū-, var. s. of sequī to follow + -tus ptp. suffix
1432, "follow up, pursue" (some course or action), from L. prosecutus, pp. of prosequi "follow after" (see pursue). Meaning "bring to a court of law" is first recorded 1579. Prosecutor in legal sense is attested from 1670; prosecution in this sense is from 1631.
Main Entry: pros·e·cute Pronunciation: 'prä-si-"kyüt Function: verb Inflected Forms: -cut·ed; -cut·ing Etymology: Latin prosecutus, past participle of prosequi to pursue transitive verb 1: to institute and carry forward legal action against for redress or esp. punishment of a crime 2: to institute and carry on a lawsuit with reference to prosecuted in the name of the real party in interest —Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 17(a)> intransitive verb : to institute and carry on a civil or criminal action —pros·e·cut·able/"prä-si-'kyü-t&-b&l/adjective
[pros-i-kyoot] 
verb, -cut⋅ed, -cut⋅ing.