Persecuter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who subjects others to continual hostility, harassment, or cruel mistreatment, often because of their beliefs or identity
2. Someone who pursues and oppresses another person or group with sustained hostility and unjust treatment
3. An individual who torments or victimizes people relentlessly, especially on account of their religion, race, or opinions

Etymology: "Persecuter" is a rare spelling of "persecutor," and the older English form that the Latin-derived word replaced tells a story of its own. Before "persecutor" arrived, English speakers used "ēhtere," an Old English word for a pursuer or one who hunts down another, and it was the native term for this idea. The Latin-derived form, borrowed through Old French, pushed it out during the Middle English period. The Latin source, "persecūtor," comes from the verb "persequi," meaning to follow through or pursue relentlessly, built from "per" (through, thoroughly) and "sequi" (to follow). The root sense is physical: chasing someone down. The moral sense of harassing someone for their beliefs or identity grew from that pursuit, so the word's core idea has always been one of following a person without letting go.

Synonyms: persecutor, oppressor, tormentor

Antonyms: protector, defender