prosecute
part of speech
verb (prosecute, prosecutes, prosecuted, prosecuting)
meaning for a pupil
1) (law) To officially accuse someone of a crime in a court of law and try to prove they are guilty. tree →
2) (formal) To carry on or continue something, such as a war or a plan, until it is finished. tree →
sense in the lessons
Interpretation: In the later reading, Satan is the accuser who appears before God against humans. Tradition pictures him as a heavenly prosecutor who points out sins. In the primary lessons: In law and citizenship lessons: the police or state (the prosecution) prosecute a person accused of a crime; the defence argues for them; the judge or jury decides. Signs warn: «Trespassers will be prosecuted». History books say a country «prosecuted the war».
examples
- The angel which the cipher n symbolizes, is apparently Satan ]r:z', who appears before God to prosecute all mortal beings as he prosecuted (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →
- Shoplifters will be prosecuted. tree →
- The police decided to prosecute the driver for speeding. tree →
- He was prosecuted for stealing a car. tree →
- The lawyer who prosecutes is called the prosecutor. tree →
- The sign said trespassers would be prosecuted. tree →
- The general prosecuted the war for five years. tree →
note
Regular verb. Related: prosecution, prosecutor. Common trap: «prosecute» (take to court) and «persecute» (treat cruelly, especially for beliefs) sound alike but mean very different things.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «prosecute» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.