Meaning

noun the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior

noun the lawyers acting for the state to put the case against the defendant

noun the continuance of something begun with a view to its completion

originEquivalent to prosecute + -ion, from Middle French prosecution, from Late Latin prōsecutio, from Latin prōsequor (“follow, pursue”), from pro- (“onward”) + sequor (“follow”) (English sequel). Compare persecution, and see more at prosecute.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0