Pursuit

How to spell pursuit

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce pursuit

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does pursuit mean?

1. nounThe act of chasing someone or striving to achieve or obtain something.
2. nounA recreational activity or occupation that someone regularly engages in.

Pursuit in a sentence

• The squad car gave up the pursuit after the suspect crossed the border.

• Gardening became his favourite pursuit after retirement.

• She left her stable job in pursuit of a long-held dream.

• Painting is a quiet pursuit she enjoys on weekends.

Where does pursuit come from?

Language of origin: French

This word reached English in the 1300s from the Old French poursuite, a noun built on the verb poursuivre meaning 'to follow after' or 'to chase'. The French verb traces back to the Latin prosequi, formed from pro- meaning 'forward' and sequi meaning 'to follow', so the literal idea was simply following something forward. The same Latin sequi sits inside many English relatives, including sequence, consequence, and the legal word prosecute, which is a near twin of pursue. Over time the sense widened from physically chasing someone to the broader idea of striving after a goal, and then to a regular activity one engages in. The spelling trap is the ending: it follows the French model with -suit rather than the expected English -sute, and the single s after pur catches people who want to double it.

How the word is built

• pur- (forward, from Latin pro-)
• suit (from sequi: to follow)
• the -t spelling preserved from the Old French past form