pursuit
(pəˈsjuːt)
Forms: α. 4 pursut, 4–5 -suet, 4–6 -suyt(e, 4–7 -sute, 5 -suette, 5–6 -sewt, 5–7 -suite, 6 -suete, -syewte, 5– pursuit. β. 4 pourseut, 4–7 -suite, 7 -suyte. γ. (mainly Sc.) 6 persuyt, -sut, -sewt, 6–7 -sute, -suit.
[a. AF. purseute, pursute, OF. por-, poursieute, poursuite (1326 in Godef.), deriv. of poursuivre, after suite (:—pop. L. *sequita) from suivre.]
The action or an act of pursuing, in various senses.
I. † 1. Persecution, annoyance, ill-treatment. Obs.
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 44 [To] haue mekenesse & pacience in pursuyt..and to loue hem þat pursuen vs. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 195 His suster, þat fleiȝ þe malice and pursuet of here stepdame. 1425 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 304/2 Whiche þing shuld be to þe Merchantz..full grete hyndryng, and a poursuite infinite. 1629–39 Sir W. Mure Ps. cix. 31 Hee..The poore-man's right hand..from persute of such as wold Condemne his soule, setts free. |
2. a. The action of pursuing, chasing, or following, with intent to overtake and catch or kill, a fleeing object, as a hunted animal or an enemy.
curve of pursuit: see
curve n. 1.
| 1412–20 Lydg. Chron. Troy i. 1783 So longe laste þe pursute and þe chas. c 1500 Melusine 135 The other that had be at the pursyewte & chaas of the paynemys. 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 81 The Danes fled as sheepe before him [Edmund Ironside], but he staied the Pursute by the wicked read of the traitor Edric. a 1680 Butler Rem. (1759) II. 454 He..makes his Escape, and flies beyond Persuit of Huon-cries. 1782 Cowper Gilpin 240 All and each that passed that way Did join in the pursuit. 1809 Wellington in Gurw. Disp. IV. 565, I have been on the pursuit, or rather chace of Soult out of Portugal. 1890 S. Lane-Poole Barbary Corsairs i. iv. 51 The Marquis gave hot pursuit. |
b. in pursuit (of): said of the pursuer;
in pursuit formerly sometimes of the pursued,
= in flight.
| 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iv. i. 128 My hounds..Slow in pursuit. 1660 Chas. II's Escape fr. Worcester in Select. fr. Harl. Misc. (1793) 379 [He] enquired of his brother Yates, what news from Worcester? who told him, that the king was defeated, and in pursuit. 1681 J. Flavel Meth. Grace xiii. 270 Like children in pursuit of a painted butterfly. 1847 De Quincey Span. Milit. Nun Wks. 1854 III. 59 In pursuit of some flying game, [they] had wandered far. |
c. In track cycling, any of various kinds of competitive race (see
quots. 1961 and 1975).
| 1938 Encycl. Brit. Bk. of Year 100/1, 2 miles team pursuit. 1961 F. C. Avis Sportsman's Gloss. 146/2 Australian pursuit, a track race in which a number of riders, starting from different points on the track and equally spaced out, try to catch the rider in front, whereupon the rider caught drops out of the race. Ibid. 149/1 British pursuit, a track race between two teams starting at opposite sides of the track, the members of each team standing ready to ride a lap when the previous rider of the team has been round. Ibid. 162/1 Italian pursuit, a track race between two teams starting at opposite sides of the track, the riders being in file, and who one by one drop out of the race as the track is lapped; thus, the leader of the file rides one lap, the second two laps, and so on. 1975 Oxf. Compan. Sports & Games 237/1 Individual pursuit..Two riders take part in each race, starting from stations on opposite sides of the track and attempting to gain on each other. Victory goes to the first rider to reach his home station on completing the distance or, less often, to the rider who overtakes his opponent. Ibid., Team pursuit, over 4 km., is between amateur teams of four riders. Each rider leads the team for one lap or half a lap, then swings up on the end banking and drops back to the end of the file. Thus, after another three laps or another lap and a half he finds himself leading the team once more. |
† 3. The action of suing or entreating; a suit, request, petition, instance.
Obs.| c 1386 Chaucer Wife's T. 34 Ffor which oppression was swich clamour And swich pursute vn-to the kyng Arthour. c 1400 Destr. Troy 8882 Syn I with prayer, ne with pursuet, preset not þeraftur. 1455 Paston Lett. I. 361 After long pursewts made to the Kyng and his conseill. 1503–4 Act 19 Hen. VII, c. 28 Preamble, Meny persones..made instaunte & diligente pursuyte..to his Highnesse. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. iii. i, Thy Mellida is chaste; Onely to frustrate thy pursuite in love, Is blaz'd unchaste. 1701 Swift Contests Nobles & Com. Wks. 1755 II. i. 41 When a lover becomes satisfied by small compliances without further pursuits, then expect to find popular assemblies content with small concessions. |
4. Law. An action at law; a suit; prosecution. In later use chiefly
Sc.| [1349–50 Sir T. Greneville in Bp. Grandison Reg. (1897) II. 1086 Par queux torceuouses pursutes..vous avetz este sovent grevez de cuer.] 1414 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 57/1 To graunte me durynge my pursuyte..to walken at large. 1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII, c. 14 Preamble, To have made pursuete of their severall atteynders to be reversed. 1575 in 3rd Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. 419/1 The lang trubill..the laird of Lekky hes sustinet be the persewt of the Erll of Menteithe. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. iii. vi. §26 That pursuit for Tythes ought, and of ancient time did pertain to the spiritual Court. 1678 Sir G. Mackenzie Crim. Laws Scot. i. xvii. §6 (1699) 89 Such a Criminal pursuit, as was intented. 1737 J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. ii. ii. iv. 375 The Lord Advocate..concurs in all Pursuits before Sovereign Courts for Breaches of the Peace. 1832 Austin Jurispr. (1879) I. xvii. 417 It is often thought expedient to convert the offence into a crime. That is to say the pursuit of it is not left to the discretion of the injured party. |
† 5. Attack, assault, siege.
Sc. Obs.| 1508 Dunbar Gold. Targe 182 Dissymilance scho bad go mak persute, At all powere to perse the Goldyn Targe. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 152 To be stout and deliegent in the persuit of the said castell. 1590 Reg. Privy Council Scot. IV. 533 For defens of the said burgh in tyme of foreyne persute. a 1670 Spalding Troub. Chas. I (1850) I. 259 The toun of Edinbrughe..stellit cannonis on ilk ane of thir montis for persute of the castell. |
II. 6. a. The action of seeking, or striving to obtain, attain, or accomplish something; search;
† endeavour, attempt (
to do something).
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. ii. ii. 142 Paris should ne're retract what he hath done, Nor faint in the pursuite. 1636 W. Boswell in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 152, I am in dayly poursuite of more [Medals]. 1700 Dryden Pal. & Arc. i. 294 One soul should both inspire, and neither prove His fellow's hindrance in pursuit of love. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 55 ¶2 An immoderate Pursuit after Wealth and Riches. 1836 J. H. Newman Par. Serm. (ed. 2) II. xxviii. 395 You may hear men talk as if the pursuit of wealth was the business of life. |
b. transf. The object aimed at; aim. ?
Obs.| c 1592 Marlowe Jew of Malta iii. iii, Hard-hearted father,..Was this the pursuit of thy policy? a 1732 Gay Fables ii. xi. 8 Be virtue then your first pursuit. 1742 Gray Propertius ii. 52 Be love my youth's pursuit, and science crown my Age. |
7. The action of following or engaging in something, as a profession, business, recreation, etc.; that which one engages in or follows.
| 1529 Wolsey in Four C. Eng. Lett. (1880) 10 That expedicion be usyd in my persuts, the delay wherof so replenyshyth my herte with hevynes. 1600 W. Watson Decacordon (1602) 97 Yet ceassed they not to follow the pursuite of their impietie in persecuting his happie memorie. 1774 Burke Corr. (1844) I. 489 Your constitution of mind is such, that you must have a pursuit. 1800 Colquhoun Comm. Thames Pref., Those..who follow Nautical Pursuits. 1862 Sir B. Brodie Psychol. Inq. II. i. 2 In our daily pursuits we found much that served to illustrate our former speculations. 1874 Green Short Hist. ix. §1 (1882) 591 The pursuit of Physical Science became a passion. |
† 8. The pursuing or following out
of a plan, design, etc.
Obs. (replaced by
pursuance 4.).
| a 1631 Donne Paradoxes (1652) 68 Towards the pursuite of any worthy design. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxiv. 128 The doing of many things in pursuit of their Passions. 1655 tr. Com. Hist. Francion xii. 30 He made answer..in pursute of the Instructions which he had received. |
† 9. The action of going on with something already begun; a continuation, a sequel.
Obs.| 1650 Earl of Monmouth tr. Senault's Man bec. Guilty 103 We shall see all these truths in the pursuit of this discourse. 1668 Owen Exp. Heb. (1790) I. 131 Unless we look on the words as a pursuit of the first promise. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 15, I return now to the pursuit of our voyage. |
† 10. Succession, sequence, serial order.
| 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. x. §10 It is order, poursuite, sequence, and interchange of application, which is mightie in nature. Ibid. xix. §1 That men may know in what order or pursuit to read. |
III. 11. attrib. and
Comb., as
pursuit force,
pursuit party,
pursuit squadron; (sense 2 c)
pursuit cyclist,
pursuit race;
pursuit aeroplane,
aircraft,
airplane (
U.S.),
biplane,
plane = fighter 3;
pursuit-flight [
repr. G.
reihen n. (E. Christoleit 1929, in
Beitr. Fortpflanzungsbiol. Vögel V. 45)], a flight in which one or more male birds follow or attack a female.
| 1937 Discovery Sept. 277/2 The present type of *pursuit aeroplane weighs perhaps some 4500 lb. 1940 Jrnl. R. Aeronaut. Soc. XLIV. 485 A Curtiss YP-36 type pursuit aeroplane. |
| 1931 Flight 25 Dec. 1265/1 The contracts placed with the Detroit Corp...include five Lockheed two-seater *pursuit aircraft of the type Y1P-24. |
| 1928 Chatfield & Taylor Airplane & its Engine xv. 267 The *pursuit airplane is..purely an offensive type. |
| 1920 H. Woodhouse Textbk. Appl. Aeronaut. Engin. iii. 93 The D.H.5 *Pursuit Biplane. |
| 1970 Soviet Weekly 8 Aug. 14 In preparing for the world championship in England the Soviet *pursuit cyclists did a lot of road work. |
| 1930 J. S. Huxley Bird-Watching & Bird Behaviour iii. 54 Almost immediately he will fly at her, she will fly off, and the two will turn and twist through the air in what may be called the *pursuit flight—a regular part of courtship in yellow-hammers and many other small birds. 1940 H. C. Witherby et al. Handbk. Brit. Birds III. 234 The pursuit-flights [of mallards]..have been discussed at length by German authors. 1954 D. A. Bannerman Birds Brit. Isles III. 376 Mr. Hartley describes tail-fanning by both sexes [of swallows] in pursuit flight. 1968 P. A. Johnsgard Waterfowl vi. 51 When the female is involved in incubating..these pursuit flights take a different form. |
| 1945 Diamond Track (Army Board, N.Z.) 33/1 The *pursuit force opened out into desert formation. |
| 1909 Daily Chron. 5 July 1/6 All available attendants were mustered as a *pursuit party. |
| 1918 E. S. Farrow Dict. Milit. Terms 479 *Pursuit plane. 1932 Flight 17 Nov. 1099 (caption) A new Boeing pursuit plane. 1962 R. B. Fuller Epic Poem on Industrialization 1 Zooming aloft In a pursuit plane. |
| 1908 T. A. Cook Olympic Games 188 *Pursuit Race Three laps (1·807 kilometres) Teams of four to start. First three to count in each heat. 1928 E. Hemingway Men without Women 190 In a pursuit race, in bicycle racing, riders start at equal intervals to ride after one another. 1961 J. S. Salak Dict. Amer. Sports 346 A pursuit race may have two or more contestants, who are started at equal distances behind and ahead of the nearest contestant or contestants so that the circuit of the track is divided equally by the starting points. A pursuit race may be run to a finish or for a specified distance. In either case the winner is he who has caught and passed all contestants or remaining contestants. |
| 1976 ‘A. Hall’ Kobra Manifesto i. 13 He could be chased..by *pursuit squadrons of the Yugoslavian air arm. |