See Also: Pursue(medicine)
pursue(dictionary)
pursue(dictionary)

pursue (iou)



pursue verb. ME.
[Anglo-Norman pursuer, -siwer = Old French poursuir, por- var. of poursivre (mod. -suivre) from Proto-Romance alt. of Latin prosequi PROSECUTE.]
I. verb trans.
Follow with enmity; seek to injure (a person); harass, worry, torment. Now rare or obsolete exc. Scot. ME.
b. Avenge, follow with punishment. L16-L17.
Follow with intent to overtake and capture or harm; hunt, chase; fig. (of misfortune etc.) persistently assail. ME.
D. H. Lawrence Suddenly he would be..pursuing his adversary with a stone. M. Mahy Disturbing ideas pursued her. F. Kaplan He looked over his shoulder to see who was pursuing him.
Prosecute in a court of law, sue (a person). Chiefly Scot. LME.
a. Come after in time or order. Also, follow as an attendant. Now rare or obsolete. LME.
b. Keep track of mentally or visually; trace. poet. L17.
Try to obtain or accomplish, aim at. LME.
G. Santayana Reformers blindly pursued something..which..would probably be worthless.
b. Make one's aim; try (to do something). LME-E16.
c. Try to attain to. L15-L17.
Follow (a path, way, or course); proceed along. LME.
E. M. Forster The carriage was still pursuing the windings of the road. fig.: Steele To consider what Course of Life he ought to pursue.
Proceed in compliance or accordance with (a plan, system, etc.). Cf. FOLLOW verb 7. LME.
James Mill The..scheme was invented and pursued.
Follow up, carry on further, continue (a course of action etc.). Also, continue to discuss (a topic etc.), utter in continuation. LME.
W. Whewell 'Something of this', he pursues, 'may be seen in language'. E. Forster The brothers then pursued their journey. B. Montgomery It was useless for me to pursue the matter further.
b. Law. Continue (an action); lay (information); present (a libel). Chiefly Scot. L15.
Follow as an occupation or profession; engage in, practise; make a pursuit of. E16.
W. Trevor He was a solicitor..by night and pursued some different trade by day. A. Higgins He pursued his studies in the summer house.
II. verb intrans.
Go in pursuit, chase. (Foll. by after.) ME.
H. Brooke To take every horse he had..and to pursue after the fugitives. O. Henry The rangers mounted and pursued but..Manning gave the word to abandon the chase.
Proceed with hostile intent; (with on, to, upon) attack, assail a person or thing. LME-E16.
Make one's suit; entreat. LME-M16.
b. spec. Make suit as plaintiff or pursuer; sue. Later chiefly Scot. LME-M18.
Follow or come after in order. L15-L17.
Proceed continuously. Also, come forth. E16-M17.
Continue something. (Foll. by on.) Now rare. E16.
pursuable adjective E17.
pursual noun (rare) the action or fact of pursuing; pursuance: E19.