Prosecution

How to spell prosecution

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce prosecution

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does prosecution mean?

1. nounThe act of bringing and conducting legal proceedings against someone in a criminal court.
2. nounThe party, including the lawyers, that conducts the case against the defendant in court.

Prosecution in a sentence

• The company faced prosecution for breaching safety regulations.

• The prosecution called its first witness before lunch.

• Failure to pay the fine could result in prosecution.

• The judge asked the prosecution to present its closing argument.

Where does prosecution come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb prosequi, which combined pro- meaning 'forward' or 'onward' with sequi meaning 'to follow', so the literal sense was 'to follow forth' or 'to pursue'. From its past participle prosecutus came the noun prosecutionem, meaning a following up or a carrying through of something. English took the word in through Old French and Latin during the 1400s, at first with the broad sense of pursuing or continuing any undertaking, such as the prosecution of a war or a piece of work. Over time the legal meaning, pursuing a charge against someone in court, came to dominate everyday use. The same sequi root that means 'follow' also gives us 'sequence', 'consequence', and 'pursue', and remembering that buried 'secut' (follow) part helps explain why the middle of the word is spelled with that single c and single t.

How the word is built

• pro- (forward, onward)
• secut (from Latin sequi, to follow)
• -ion (noun of action)