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Definition of prosecute - 4 dictionary results
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pros⋅e⋅cute

  [pros-i-kyoot] verb, -cut⋅ed, -cut⋅ing.
Use prosecute in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. Law.
a. 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

Related forms:
pros⋅e⋅cut⋅a⋅ble, adjective
pros⋅e⋅cut⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun

Synonyms:
3. perform, discharge, execute, conduct.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pros·e·cute   (prŏs'ĭ-kyōōt')   
v.   pros·e·cut·ed, pros·e·cut·ing, pros·e·cutes

v.   tr.

  1. Law

    1. To initiate civil or criminal court action against.

    2. To seek to obtain or enforce by legal action.

    3. To pursue (an undertaking, for example) until completion; follow to the very end.

    4. To chase or pursue (a vessel): "He held a dispatch saying that [they] had prosecuted and probably killed an Echo-class missile submarine" (Tom Clancy).

    1. To pursue (an undertaking, for example) until completion; follow to the very end.

    2. To chase or pursue (a vessel): "He held a dispatch saying that [they] had prosecuted and probably killed an Echo-class missile submarine" (Tom Clancy).

  3. To carry on, engage in, or practice.

v.   intr. Law

  1. To initiate and conduct legal proceedings.

  2. To act as prosecutor.


[Middle English prosecuten, from Latin prōsequī, prōsecūt- : prō-, forward; see pro-1 + sequī, to follow; see sekw-1 in Indo-European roots.]
pros'e·cut'a·ble adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

prosecute 
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

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
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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