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pursue [pursue 词源字典]: pursue: [13] Pursue is first cousin to prosecute. Both go back ultimately to Latin prōsequī ‘follow up, pursue’. This led fairly directly to English prosecute, but it also seems to have had a Vulgar Latin descendant *prōsequere, which passed into English via Old French porsivre and Anglo-Norman pursuer as pursue.
=> prosecute, sue, suit[pursue etymology, pursue origin, 英语词源]
execute (v.): late 14c. "to carry into effect" (transitive, mostly in law with reference to warrants, sentences, etc.), also "carry out or accomplish a course of action" (intransitive), from Old French executer (14c.), from Medieval Latin executare, from Latin execut-/exsecut-, past participle stem of exequi/exsequi "to follow out, to follow to the grave," figuratively "to follow, follow after, accompany, follow up, prosecute, carry out, enforce; execute, accomplish; punish, avenge," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + sequi "follow" (see sequel). Meaning "to inflict capital punishment" is from late 15c., from earlier legal sense "perform judgment or sentence on" (early 15c.). Related: Executed; executing.
follow-up (n.): 1905, originally in the argot of sales and business, from verbal phrase follow up "pursue closely, act on energetically" (1794); see follow (v.) + up (adv.).
prosecute (v.): early 15c., "follow up, pursue" (some course or action), from Latin prosecutus, past participle of prosequi "follow after, accompany; chase, pursue; attack, assail, abuse" (see pursue). Meaning "bring to a court of law" is first recorded 1570s. Meaning "go into detail" is from 1530s.
pursue (v.): late 13c., "to follow with hostile intent," from Anglo-French pursuer and directly from Old French poursuir (Modern French poursuivre), variant of porsivre "to chase, pursue, follow; continue, carry on," from Vulgar Latin *prosequare, from Latin prosequi "follow, accompany, attend; follow after, escort; follow up, pursue," from pro- "forward" (see pro-) + sequi "follow" (see sequel). Meaning "to proceed, to follow" (a path, etc.), usually figurative (a course of action, etc.), is from late 14c. This sense also was in Latin. Related: Pursued; pursuing. For sense, compare prosecute.
Pyrrhic (adj.): 1885 (usually in phrase Pyrrhic victory), from Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, who defeated Roman armies at Asculum, 280 B.C.E., but at such cost to his own troops that he was unable to follow up and attack Rome itself, and is said to have remarked, "one more such victory and we are lost."
supervene (v.): 1640s, "come as something additional," from Latin supervenire "come on top of, come in addition to, come after, follow upon," from super "over, upon" (see super-) + venire "come" (see venue). Related: Supervened; supervening.