procurado

Procurado is a Portuguese term that functions as an adjective or a past participle of the verb procurar, meaning to seek or to look for. It denotes something that is sought after or someone who is being sought. In journalistic, legal, and law-enforcement contexts, the form procurado is often used to describe a person wanted by authorities, as in procurado pela polícia (wanted by the police). The word can also describe items or information that are in demand, for example um produto muito procurado (a highly sought product).

Grammatically, procurado agrees with gender and number: procurado (masculine singular), procurada (feminine singular), procurados (masculine plural), procuradas (feminine plural). When used as a noun, o procurado or a procurada can refer to the person or thing sought, particularly in formal or news-writing contexts. The expression em procura de or em busca de conveys the idea of actively seeking something.

Etymology: Procurado derives from procurar, which comes from Latin procurare, literally “to take care of” or “to obtain for.” The prefix pro- suggests forward action, while curare means to take care. The related English verb procure shares the same root and development across Romance and Germanic languages.