prosecution

[Lat. prosecutio, from prose Sp. prosecucion.] cut us, pa. par. of prosequor =to prosecute (q. v.); I. Ordinary Language : 1. The act of prosecuting or of endeavoring to attain, execute, or accomplish; the pursuit of any object by efforts of mind or body; the carrying on or following up of any matter or scheme; as, the prosecution of a scheme, a claim, a war, . *2. The act of following in haste; pursuit. 3. In the same sense as II. 2. II. Law : 1. The instituting and carrying on of a suit in court of law or equity to obtain some right, or to redre and punish an injury or wrong. 2. The act or proce of exhibiting formal charges against an offender before a legal tribunal, and pursuing them to final judgment; the instituting and continuing of a criminal suit against any per son or persons. [PRESENTMENT, INDICTMENT.] "The next step toward the punishment of offenders is their prosecution , or formal accusation; which is either upon a previous finding of the fact by an inquest or grand jury, or without such previous finding."-Black stone: Comment . , bk. iv., ch. 23. 3. The party by whom criminal proceedings are instituted; the prosecutor or prosecutors collectively.