exécuter

Forms

exécuter^[1]

Etymology

It is from French exécution, formed on the noun's stem with the verb ending ⟨-er⟩, the noun being from Latin exsecūtiō.^[2][1][3] The Grand Robert, the Petit Robert and the GLLF take it from the stem of both exécuteur and the noun.^{[4][5][6][4][5][6]} The Latin nouns come from exsequor (“to follow up, accomplish”), from ex- and sequor (“to follow”).^[3][7] Palsgrave reported in the 16th century that it was pronounced ⟨euzecuter⟩.^[7]

Compare Old Occitan executar, Spanish ejecutar and Italian esecutare.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi dates it to 1351, in the Miracles de Nostre Dame, meaning to carry out an act.^[2] The Grand Robert and the GLLF date it about 1282.^[4][6] The DHLF dates the sense “to carry through” to 1351 and the legal sense of enforcing a judgment to about 1355.^[8]

Semantic evolution

From the start the verb was legal as much as general: it meant giving effect to a decision or judgment.^[8][9] From 1374 it also meant putting someone to death by order of a court.^[8][2] In 1435 it also meant seizing goods by legal authority.^[2]

Later uses grew with those of exécution, which from the late 17th century was felt to be derived from the verb: making a work from a plan or estimate (1690), and performing a piece of music (1761).^[8] Quemada's datings find the musical sense in Balzac in 1843.^[10] Its derivatives are exécutable, first a legal term (about 1435), and exécutant (14th century, Eustache Deschamps), which from 1767 named a performer in an ensemble.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 1282 – First record according to the GLLF and the Grand Robert.^[6][4]
• 1351 – It means to carry out an act.^[2][8]
• c. 1355 – It is used of enforcing a judgment.^[8]
• 1374 – It means to put to death by order of a court.^[2][8]
• 1435 – It means to seize goods by legal authority.^[2]
• 1690 – Furetière records making a work from a plan.^[6][8]
• 1761 – It is used of performing music.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To carry out a plan, order or project: exécuter un projet.^[5][11][1]
2. To make or produce a work, especially according to a plan: L'artisan a exécuté la table sur mesure.^[5][6]
3. To perform a piece of music or a movement.^[5][8]
4. To execute, to put to death, especially by order of a court.^[5][1]
5. (law) To enforce a judgment or contract, or to seize the goods of a debtor.^[8][2][1]
6. (computing) To run a program.^[5]
7. s'exécuter: to comply, to do what is asked.^[1][5]

Word family

• exécutable
• exécutant

Related words

• exécution
• exécuteur
• exécutif
• Latin exsequor

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
10. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)