persecuted
Meaning
to treat someone unfairly or cruelly over a long period of time because of their race, religion, or political beliefs
to deliberately annoy or upset someone by not leaving them alone
Structure
Usage
throughout history, many religious minorities have been persecuted.
he claimed he was being persecuted by the media for his controversial views.
she felt persecuted by the constant phone calls from telemarketers.
Etymology
the word "persecuted" originates from the latin verb persequi, meaning "to pursue, follow with hostility, or prosecute". this verb is a compound of the prefix per-, intensifying the action to mean "thoroughly" or "to the end", and the root sequi, meaning "to follow". the literal sense of "following someone relentlessly" evolved in late latin and old french into the specific meaning of harassing or oppressing someone, especially for their beliefs. entering english via old french persecuter, it retained this sense of systematic, hostile pursuit, which is now its core abstract meaning.
Analysis
- per: from latin, a prefix meaning "through, thoroughly, to destruction". - secut: from latin root sequi (to follow), appearing here as secut-. - ed: from old english, a suffix forming the past tense and past participle of regular verbs.