persecute

English

/ˈpɝsəkjut/, /ˈpəːsɪkjuːt/

verb
Definitions
  • To pursue in a manner to injure, grieve, or afflict; to beset with cruelty or malignity; to harass; especially, to afflict, harass, punish, or put to death for one's race, sexual identity, adherence to a particular religious creed, or mode of worship.
  • To harass with importunity; to pursue with persistent solicitations; to annoy.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French persécuter derived from Latin persecutor, persecutus, persequor (follow up, pursue), sequor (follow, I follow) root from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (follow, say, see, notice, accompany, track).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*sekʷ-

Gloss

follow, say, see, notice, accompany, track

Concept
Semantic Field

Motion

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Kanji

見

Emoji

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms