# execution

Pronunciation: say "ek-si-KYOO-shuhn" /ˌɛk.sɪˈkjuː.ʃən/

## Noun

1. The act of putting a person to death as a legal penalty, or actions connected with it.
   - Simple: The killing of a person as a legal punishment.
   - _The execution was carried out only after every appeal had been exhausted._
   - _Several countries have abolished execution as a form of punishment._
2. The act, manner, or style in which an action, maneuver, or performance is carried out.
   - Simple: The way a task, move, or performance is actually carried out.
   - _The gymnast's execution earned high marks from the judges._
   - _A brilliant idea can still fail through sloppy execution._
3. In law, the formal steps, such as signing, by which a contract becomes valid and legally binding.
   - Simple: The act of signing a contract to make it valid and final.
   - _The contract's execution required signatures from all three directors._
   - _Execution of the deed was delayed until the funds cleared._
4. In law, the process of putting a court's judgment or a person's will into effect.
   - Simple: The act of carrying out a court's decision or a person's will.
   - _Execution of the judgment allowed the creditor to recover the debt._
   - _The lawyer oversaw the execution of her late client's will._
5. The carrying out of an instruction, program, or part of a program by a computer.
   - Simple: The process of a computer carrying out the steps in a program.
   - _Execution of the script halted when it encountered a missing file._
   - _The compiler optimizes the code to reduce execution time._
6. The condition of having been completed or fully carried out.
   - Simple: The state of being finished or fully carried out.
   - _The strategy moved steadily toward full execution over the year._
   - _Years of patient effort brought the grand design to its execution._

## Noun

7. In law, the taking of a debtor's goods or property when the debt has not been paid. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: The taking of someone's goods or property when they fail to pay a debt.
   - _The creditor obtained a writ of execution against the bankrupt's estate._
   - _Execution was levied upon his lands when the sum remained unpaid._

## Origin

From Old French execution (around 1360), from Latin exsecutiō, a noun formed from exsequor ("to follow out"), itself from ex ("out") plus sequor ("follow"). It is equivalent to execute plus the suffix -ion.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/execution (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).