execution

UK/ˌɛk.sɪˈkjuː.ʃən/US/ˌɛk.sɪˈkjuː.ʃən/

nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #2,500 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: executions

An execution is the putting of somebody to death by law, or the carrying out of a plan. A public execution, flawless execution, stay of execution.

The two senses share a root but not a register, and in business execution simply means doing the thing well. A stay of execution is a legal postponement and is now used loosely of any reprieve.

Definitions of execution

1nounexecutionThe putting of somebody to death by law, or the carrying out of a plan.B2
“The prisoner's execution was delayed while his lawyers made a final appeal.”

execution is a carrying out.

Where it comes from

Latin exsecutio comes from exsequi, to follow out or carry through.

Proto-Indo-European
*sekʷ-
Latin
exsecutiō
Old French
execution
English, today
execution

Built from

exsequor · Latin — to follow out
ex · Latin — out
sequor · Latin — follow

From Old French execution (c.1360), from Latin exsecutiō, an agent noun from exsequor (“to follow out”), from ex (“out”) + sequor (“follow”). Equivalent to execute + -ion.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

execution in the wild

The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in such a manner is called a death sentence, and the act of carrying out the sentence is an execution.
Capital punishment
The Council of Europe, which has 46 member states, has worked to end the death penalty; no execution has taken place in its current member states since 1997.
Capital punishment
Although Taiwan permits lethal injection as an execution method, no executions have been carried out in this manner; the same is true for Nigeria.
Lethal injection
Although primarily introduced as a more "humane" method of execution, lethal injection has been subject to criticism, being described by some as cruel and unusual.
Lethal injection
Southwick, a dentist in Buffalo, New York, conceived this execution method in 1881.
Electric chair

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the sequor family

second

execution — used about once every 341 pages · #2,500 · point at the bar for the others

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