persevere

Etymology

From Middle English perseveren, from Old French perseverer, from Latin persevērāre (“to continue steadfastly, persist, persevere”), from perseverus (“very strict or earnest”), from per (“through, by the means of”) + severus (“strict, earnest”). Doublet of perseverate.

verb

1. (intransitive) To persist steadfastly in pursuit of an undertaking, task, journey, or goal, even if hindered by distraction, difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement.
   He is a trifle discouraged, but he perseveres. c. 1918, P. G. Wodehouse, The Agonies of Writing a Musical Comedy
2. (intransitive, copulative, obsolete) To stay constant; to continue in a certain state; to remain.