Etymograph

English

persecute

Persecute comes from Ecclesiastical Latin persecutor ‘pursuer’, from Latin sequor ‘follow’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sekʷ-‘to follow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*sékʷetor‘to be following’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekʷōr‘to follow, come/go after’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequor‘follow’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpersequor‘follow up, pursue’
  6. Ecclesiastical Latinc. 200–1500persecutor‘pursuer’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600persécuter
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1563persecute

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sekʷ-‘to follow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*sékʷetor‘to be following’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekʷōr‘to follow, come/go after’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequor‘follow’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpersequor‘follow up, pursue’
  6. Ecclesiastical Latinc. 200–1500persecutor‘pursuer’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600persécuter
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1563persecute

Earliest quotation: 1563, John Foxe: “I have heard, brethren, how sharply Antichrist persecuteth you,…”

The story

Cf. also pursue.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- ‘to follow’

say, see, social, saw, second, society, sight, executive, subsequent, associate, sue, suite, consequence, saga, consequently, intrinsic, sequential, dissociation, sequestration, extrinsic, dissociate, seg, sequester, 31 more

through Proto-Italic *sekʷōr ‘to follow, come/go after’

pursuit, suitor, 17 more

through Latin sequor ‘follow’

suit, sequence, pursue, sequel, consecutive, prosecution, execute, sect, ensue, consequent, executor, segue, sequitur, 19 more

Today it means

verb To pursue in a manner to do harm or cruelty to; especially, because of the victim's race, sexual identity, or adherence to a particular belief.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- / persecute

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