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  What it means

  Literally “a chasing letter” or “a pursuit document.” In modern Polish it means a wanted notice or arrest warrant — an official document issued by authorities to track down and apprehend a fugitive or a missing person. The phrase appears in news reports, crime fiction, and legal contexts. Knowing this term is essential for understanding Polish crime dramas and news.

  Vocabulary

  • list — letter, document
  • gończy — pursuit-, chasing- (adjective from gonić)
  • gonić — to chase, to pursue (imperfective verb)

  Grammar note

  The adjective 'gończy' is masculine nominative, agreeing with 'list.' It derives from the verb 'gonić' (to chase) via the agentive suffix '-czy,' forming an adjective meaning 'related to pursuit.' The phrase is typically used in constructions such as 'wydać list gończy' (to issue a warrant) or 'być poszukiwanym listem gończym' (to be wanted by a warrant).

  Cultural context

  The term dates from historical Polish legal practice, when warrants were literally letters dispatched to sheriffs and local officials ordering them to apprehend a named person. The expression has survived unchanged into modern legal and journalistic usage. It corresponds to 'arrest warrant' or 'wanted poster' in English.

  Intermediate

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