# prosecution

Pronunciation: US say "prah-suh-KYOO-shuhn" /ˌpɹɑ.səˈkju.ʃən/; say "pros-i-KYOO-shuhn" UK /ˌpɹɒs.ɪˈkjuː.ʃən/, AUS /ˌpɹɔs.ɪˈkjʉː.ʃən/

## Noun

1. The bringing of legal proceedings, especially criminal charges, against a person.
   - Simple: The act of taking someone to court, usually for a crime.
   - _He faced prosecution for fraud once the auditors filed their report._
   - _Prosecution of the case began only after a lengthy police investigation._
2. The party bringing and arguing a case against the accused, especially in a criminal trial.
   - Simple: The side in a court case that tries to prove a person is guilty.
   - _The prosecution rested its case after presenting the forensic evidence._
   - _Lawyers for the prosecution sought a lengthy sentence._
3. A state legal body empowered to bring criminal cases, often known as the prosecutor's office.
   - Simple: A government office of lawyers whose job is to bring people to court.
   - _After graduating, she joined the prosecution and spent a decade trying cases._
   - _The prosecution operates independently from the police in many legal systems._
4. The carrying out or pursuit of a plan, project, or undertaking.
   - Simple: The act of carrying out a plan or project until it is finished.
   - _The prosecution of the campaign required careful coordination among allies._
   - _Investors praised the company's vigorous prosecution of its expansion strategy._

## Origin

Formed from 'prosecute' plus '-ion', it came through Middle French 'prosecution' from Late Latin 'prōsecutio', from Latin 'prōsequor' meaning 'to follow, pursue': from 'pro-' (onward) plus 'sequor' (follow), which also gives English 'sequel'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/prosecution (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).