prosecute

Definition

To start criminal proceedings against.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin prōsecūtus, perfect participle of prōsequor. Doublet of pursue, from Old French. Compare also persecute.

Example Sentences

• "to prosecute a man for trespass, or for a riot"
• "To acquit themſelves and proſecute their foes"
• "The Vigilante is prosecuted in Federal Court under a lynch bill and winds up in a Federal Nut House specially designed for the containment of ghosts […]"