persecution

noun

Etymology: Equivalent to persecute + -ion. From Middle English persecucioun, from Old French persecucion, from Ecclesiastical Latin persecūtio (“persecution; chase, pursuit”), from Latin persequor (“follow up, pursue”), from per- (“through”) + sequor (“follow”). Displaced native Old English ēhtnes.

1. The act of persecuting, especially a specific group of people; an instance of persecution.

   “Many apartheid perpetrators escaped prosecution for their persecution of black Africans and political dissidents.”

   “During the early 20th century, wolves were considered undesirable. They were subject to persecution and were extirpated from large areas of their original range. With increased environmental awareness in the 1970s, attitudes toward wolves began to change.”