Etymograph

English

prosecute

Prosecute comes from Latin prōsecūtus ‘having escorted, accompanied’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōsecūtus1‘having escorted, accompanied’
  2. Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596prosecute1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English prosecute
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame: “I am beloved of beauteous Hermia; / Why should…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōsecūtusWiktionary, English prosecute‘having escorted, accompanied’
  2. Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596prosecuteWiktionary, English prosecute. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame: “I am beloved of beauteous Hermia; / Why should…”

Every English word from Latin prōsecūtus

Today it means

verb To start criminal proceedings against.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “prosecute”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin prōsecūtus / prosecute

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