prosecute, v.
(ˈprɒsɪkjuːt)
Also 6 proseqwuit, -quut, 6–7 -quute; 7 pa. pple. (Sc.) prosecute.
[f. L. prōsecūt-, ppl. stem of prōsequī to follow, pursue, attend, accompany; to honour or present (a person) with; f. prō, pro-1 1 + sequī to follow. So obs. F. prosecuter (1519 in Godef.).]
1. a. trans. To follow up, pursue; to persevere or persist in, follow out, go on with (some action, undertaking, or purpose) with a view to completing or attaining it.
| 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) V. 51 Origenes sende an epistole..preyenge and comfortenge his fader to prosecute [L. prosequi] that he hade begunne. 1509 Fisher Fun. Serm. Hen. VII A ij, As this honorable audyence now is here assembled to prosecute the funeral obseruaunces [etc.]. 1568 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 624 Quhill thai renew thair forceis and prosequute thair formair detestabill interpryise. 1614 Raleigh Hist. World iii. (1634) 102 How the Army came into the Territorie of Synope, and there prosequuted the same purpose. 1643 Drummond of Hawthornden Skiamachia Wks. (1711) 192 That the late articles of the treaty of peace..may be carefully and truly prosecute. 1676 Ray Corr. (1848) 126 If still you prosecute the same studies and inquiries. 1754 Richardson Grandison xxvii. (1781) II. 251 Determined to prosecute their intended tour. 1836 H. Coleridge North. Worthies I. 40 The Dutch war, commenced without necessity, and prosecuted..with ill-judged parsimony. 1874 Carpenter Ment. Phys. 1 This inquiry..has not until recently been systematically prosecuted. |
b. intr. or absol. To continue, go on.
| a 1529 Skelton Replyc. 158 What shullde I prosecute, Or more of this to clatter? 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. xix. 22 [He] sued..for licence too prosecute on his iourney. 1588 Parke tr. Mendoza's Hist. China 357 Here hee doth prosecute in things which the saide fathers did see. |
2. trans. To carry out, perform; to engage in, carry on, practise, exercise, follow.
| 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 342 Those exercises, that are vsually prosequuted in the common schooles. 1610 Willet Hexapla Dan. 141 True repentance..may not be deferred or put off but speedily prosequuted. 1707 Mortimer Husb. (1721) II. 177 It is a piece of great neglect amongst us, that the sowing of them is not more prosecuted. 1824 J. Marshall Const. Opin. (1839) 307 These privileges..cannot be enjoyed unless the trade may be prosecuted. 1883 Goode Fish. Indust. U.S. 23 (Fish. Exhib. Publ.) The salmon and other fisheries of Puget Sound are prosecuted chiefly by the aid of Indian fishermen. |
3. To follow out in detail; ‘to proceed in consideration or disquisition of’ (J.); to go into the particulars of, investigate; to treat of or deal with in greater detail.
| 1538 Starkey England ii. i. 162 Yf I schold partycularly prosecute euery thyng..perteynyng to thes materys, we schold not fynysch our communycatyon thys xv. days and more. 1577 Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 10 The which Josephus hath prosecuted at large in his histories. 1612 Brinsley Lud. Lit. xiii. (1627) 178 Speciall rules and directions giuen, for writing their Theames,..prosecuting the seuerall parts of the Theame. 1672 Cave Prim. Chr. iii. iii. (1673) 304 This Argument Eusebius particularly prosecutes. 1743 Emerson Fluxions Pref. 14 As to the Resolution of Problems by infinite Series, I have been more sparing of that, because it has been well prosecuted by others. 1873 H. Rogers Orig. Bible ii. (ed. 3) 63, I do not further prosecute this subject. |
† 4. To follow up (an advantage); to improve, take advantage of (an opportunity).
Obs.| 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. i. 27 They prosecuted this good happe of theirs further the next yeare. 1654 tr. Martini's Conq. China 24 The Tartars..prosecute the victory with all quickness and diligence. 1754 Hume Hist. Eng. (1761) I. ix. 191 The French Army..left Henry free to prosecute his Advantages against his other Enemies. |
† 5. a. To follow quickly with hostile intent (a fleeing man or beast); to chase;
= pursue.
Obs.| 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 166 The king..prosecuted Dauid the brother of Lewlyn from towne to towne. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 24 These wild asses..cast backward with their heels stones with such violence, as they pierce the brests of them that prosecute them. 1648 Cromwell Let. 20 Aug. in Carlyle, We..prosecuted them home to Warrington Town. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 619 The Mastiffs gen'rous Breed,..who, for the Folds Relief, Will prosecute with Cries the nightly Thief. |
| absol. 1549 Latimer 1st Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 24 Pharao..what tyme he hard of the passage of Goddes people,..he did prosecute after, entendyng to destroye them. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 4 The Munkeys..fling stones at them that prosecute to take them. |
† b. To follow with vengeance; to revenge (injuries, etc.).
Obs.| 1551 Robinson tr. More's Utop. ii. (1895) 245 But whether it were righte or wrong, it was with so cruell and mortal warre reuenged... So egerly the Vtopians prosequute the iniuries done to ther frindes, yea, in money matters; and not their owne likewise. |
6. Law.
a. To institute legal proceedings against (a person) for some offence; to arraign before a court of justice for some crime or wrong.
| 1579 Reg. Privy Council Scot. III. 159 To be apprehendit and prosequutit be justice. 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. i. §11 Any Person..who was not either immediately Prosecuted by the Court, or in evident Disfavour there. 1769 Blackstone Comm. IV. xxiii. 315 If he made his peace with the king, still he might be prosecuted at the suit of the party. 1780 Bentham Princ. Legisl. xi. §24 You prosecute him for the cheat. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xxxi, Are you aware of the law of this country—that if you lodge this charge you will be bound over to prosecute this gang? Mod. Notice. Trespassers will be prosecuted as the law directs. |
b. with the crime or offence as object.
| 1680 Otway Orphan ii. iv, If the offence be found Within my reach..I'd prosecute it with severest Vengeance. 1769 Robertson Chas. V, View St. Europe i. I. 42 Resentment was almost the sole motive for prosecuting crimes. 1863 H. Cox Instit. i. x. 235 The House of Commons had given up the practice of prosecuting state crimes. |
c. In phrase
to prosecute an action,
prosecute a claim.
† Formerly also
to prosecute an accusation,
prosecute the law.
| 1596 Bacon Max. & Use Com. Law ii. (1636) 12 Hee also then bindeth to appeare those that give testimony and prosecute the accusation. Ibid. 64 If hee prosecuted the law against the thiefe and convict him of the same felony, he shall have his goods again. 1654 Sir E. Nicholas in N. Papers (Camden) II. 51 The strange accusation violently prosecuted against S{supr} Edw. Hyde at the Council Board at Paris. 1709 Strype Ann. Ref. I. xxiv. 240 They did not put or continue them in prison, nor prosecute the law upon them. 1817 Ld. Castlereagh in Parl. Deb. 1853 Nothing but a deep sense of the duty which I owed to the public could..have induced me to prosecute that action. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) V. 242 That the parties included in the exception should have five years clear from every disability there mentioned, to prosecute their claim. |
d. intr. or absol. To institute or carry on a prosecution, to be prosecutor.
| 1611 B. Jonson Catiline v. vi, When they are done, the laws may prosequute. 1657 W. Rand tr. Gassendi's Life Peiresc ii. 2 He durst not prosecute against the party he supposed had stollen them. 1765 Blackstone Comm. I. vii. 268 He [the king] is therefore the proper person to prosecute for all public offences and breaches of the peace, being the person injured in the eye of the law. 1817 Parl. Deb. 418 He had at that time prosecuted for high treason, because he disdained to bring the persons..before a jury for any other crime than that of which he was conscientiously satisfied they were guilty. 1865 Chambers's Encycl. VII. 799/1 If a person is murdered, some one of the relatives naturally prosecutes. 1901 G. B. Shaw Capt. Brassbound's Conversion iii. 286 The counsel for the prosecution can proceed to prosecute. The floor is yours, Lady Waynflete. 1966 Listener 9 June 828/1 Even when the police prosecute, committal for trial cannot be left entirely to their discretion. 1971 Reader's Digest Family Guide to Law 743/1 A private individual has the right in most cases to follow the same procedure, even if the police have decided not to prosecute. |
† 7. To seek to gain or bring about; to follow after, strive for.
Obs.| 1595 Blanchardyn vii. B iij b, Her beautie hath carryed such prayse and commendation throughout the world, that all the neighbouring Princes haue prosecuted her loue. 1604 T. Wright Passions i. iii. 14 Selfe-love..inticeth..to prosecute pleasures. 1641 J. Jackson True Evang. T. iii. 224 Let peace be prosecuted, and followed, by the safest and surest rule of this pursuit. 1722 Wollaston Relig. Nat. ix. (1738) 218 [We] at the same time [shall] prosecute our own proper happiness. |
† 8. To follow (
fig.)
with honour, regard, execration, or other feeling or its expression. (A figure from literally following a person with shouts of acclamation, execration, etc.)
Obs.| 1538 Bale Thre Lawes 1981 To worshyp one God aboue And hys poore neyber to prosecute with loue. c 1540 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden) I. 206 The Danes didd..with honorable sepulture, prosecute the corps of Hubo. 1632 Massinger City Madam v. iii, Prosecuted with the fatal curses Of widows, undone orphans, and what else. 1664 Jer. Taylor Dissuas. Popery ii. ii. ii. (1667) 21 Prosecuting the Lord Jesus Christ with a singular honour. 1741 Warburton Div. Legat. II. 168 The same Animal was prosecuted, in one place, with divine Honours. |
† 9. To pursue (a person) vindictively or with malice; to persecute.
Obs.| 1588 Let. in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) II. 67 Not maliciously bent to have men prosecuted to death, only for their religion. 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 61 The eldest sonne of Aben Babur..who was sadly prosecuted through the power and malice of Mirza Kameron his younger Brother. 1678 Cudworth Intell. Syst. i. i. §24. 24 He acknowledged Dæmons or Angels; declaring that some of these fell from Heaven, and were since prosecuted by a Divine Nemesis. 1704 Clarendon's Hist. Reb. III. Ded. 8 Prosecuting this Author with unjust and false accusations. |
Hence
ˈprosecuting vbl. n. and ppl. a.| 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 194 Godly wars..from prosecuting wherof he was..by his violence withdrawn. 1643 Drummond of Hawthornden Skiamachia Wks. (1711) 208 The prosecuting and effectuating of such a blessed and necessary work. 1832 Jrnl. Indiana Ho. Representatives 6 Dec. 33 Duly elected Prosecuting Attorney of the 2d Judicial Circuit. 1848 Dickens Dombey iv, The prosecuting of a ship's discoveries. 1870 Standard 7 Dec., The borough prosecuting solicitor. 1912 M. Nicholson Hoosier Chron. 180 The Republican prosecuting attorney of Ranger County joined with the local bank in certifying Miles's probity. 1959 Granta 6 June 33/2 ‘Where were you?’ shouted the bluff prosecuting counsel. 1976 Daily Mirror 16 July 9/2 Prosecuting authorities are now more sensitive to the need to investigate suspicions of corruption. |