pur·suit

[per-soot]
noun
1.
the act of pursuing: in pursuit of the fox.
2.
an effort to secure or attain; quest: the pursuit of happiness.
3.
any occupation, pastime, or the like, in which a person is engaged regularly or customarily: literary pursuits.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English < Anglo-French purseuteVulgar Latin *prōsequita for Latin prōsecūta, feminine of prōsecūtus, past participle of prōsequī to pursue; cf. suit


1. chase, hunt. 2. search. 3. activity, preoccupation, inclination.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To pursuit
00:10
Pursuit is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
Collins
World English Dictionary
pursuit (pəˈsjuːt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a.  the act of pursuing, chasing, or striving after
 b.  (as modifier): a pursuit plane
2.  an occupation, hobby, or pastime
3.  (in cycling) a race in which the riders set off at intervals along the track and attempt to overtake each other
 
[C14: from Old French poursieute, from poursivre to prosecute,pursue]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

pursuit
late 14c., "persecution," from Anglo-Fr. purseute, from O.Fr. porsuite (early 14c.), from porsivre (see pursue). Meaning "action of pursuit" attested from early 15c.; sense of "one's profession, recreation, etc." first recorded 1520s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The act of in search of a perfect theory in itself is already a pursuit of
  failure.
Aside from the pursuit of war and some shifting definition of victory,
  everything else is a political sideshow for him.
Coming into better focus through rigorous scientific pursuit across many
  disciplines.
Others wonder if the obsessive pursuit of happiness is itself making people
  miserable.
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