per ‧ se ‧ cute /ˈpɜːsɪkjuːt $ ˈpɜːr-/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: persécuter , from Latin persecutus , past participle of persequi 'to pursue, follow' ]
1 . to treat someone cruelly or unfairly over a period of time, especially because of their religious or political beliefs:
The Puritans left England to escape being persecuted.
2 . to deliberately cause difficulties for someone by annoying them often SYN harass :
Like many celebrities, she complained of being persecuted by the press.
—persecutor noun [countable]
—persecution /ˌpɜːsɪˈkjuːʃ ə n $ ˌpɜːr-/ noun [uncountable and countable] :
the persecution of writers who criticize the government