pursuit

[per-soot] /pərˈsut/
noun
1.
the act of pursuing:
in pursuit of the fox.
2.
an effort to secure or attain; quest:
the pursuit of happiness.
3.
any occupation, pastime, or the like, in which a person is engaged regularly or customarily:
literary pursuits.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English < Anglo-French purseute ≪ Vulgar Latin *prōsequita for Latin prōsecūta, feminine of prōsecūtus, past participle of prōsequī to pursue; cf. suit
Synonyms
1. chase, hunt. 2. search. 3. activity, preoccupation, inclination.
Examples from the web for pursuit
  • The act of in search of a perfect theory in itself is already a pursuit of failure.
  • We fly still faster in pursuit, twine our snakes around his feet, and bring him to the ground.
  • One of the chief elements of the value of human life is freedom in the pursuit of happiness.
  • In their pursuit of perfection they required an ampler environment.
  • For many, the pursuit of a college degree is itself a large bet against uncertain odds.
  • If you're not in the pursuit-of-truth business, then you should not be in the university.
  • Power and violence, a larger club or sharper sword, as if the ability to incinerate whole cities is an admirable pursuit.
  • The pursuit of happiness grants no exemption from respecting the rights of others.
  • Yet it's the pursuit of these things rather than knowledge that dominates academic culture.
  • We've turned education into an economic pursuit which is all about money and job-getting instead of what it is supposed to be.
British Dictionary definitions for pursuit

pursuit

/pəˈsjuːt/
noun
1.
  1. the act of pursuing, chasing, or striving after
  2. (as modifier): a pursuit plane
2.
an occupation, hobby, or pastime
3.
(in cycling) a race in which the riders set off at intervals along the track and attempt to overtake each other
Word Origin
C14: from Old French poursieute, from poursivre to prosecute,pursue
Word Origin and History for pursuit
n.

late 14c., "persecution," also "action of pursuit," from Anglo-French purseute, from Old French porsuite "a search, pursuit" (14c., Modern French poursuite), from porsivre (see pursue). Sense of "one's profession, recreation, etc." first recorded 1520s. As a type of track cycling race from 1938.