persecution
NounUS[pur-suh-kyoo-shuhn]/ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən/4 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (1)
- the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion)Type of maltreatment, ill-treatmentKinds oppression, torture, pogrom
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perniciousadjective
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Per′se·cu′tion noun
Origin: F. persécution, L. persecutio.
1. The act or practice of persecuting; especially, the infliction of loss, pain, or death for adherence to a particular creed or mode of worship.
Persecution produces no sincere conviction.— Paley, William
2. The state or condition of being persecuted. John Locke
3. A carrying on; prosecution. obsolete
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54