Pursuit
/pərˈsuːt/noun
The act of chasing, seeking, or trying to obtain something.
Did you know?Pursuit comes through Old French from Latin roots meaning “to follow,” and its ancestry is tied to the same ancient root behind words like sequel and sequence—language literally built around what comes next.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sekw-
“to follow”
Latin
Latin
sequi
“to follow”
Late Latin
Latin
pursuere
“to follow closely, chase”
Old French
Old French
pursuite
“a chase, act of following”
Middle English
English
pursuite
“the act of chasing or seeking”
Modern English
English
pursuit
“the act of chasing or striving toward a goal”
Explore more surprising origins