executo
Pronunciation
Forms
execūtō (present infinitive execūtāre, perfect active execūtāvī, supine execūtātum); first conjugation[1]
Etymology
It is a Medieval Latin verb formed from execūtus, the past participle of exsequor (“to follow out, carry out”).[1][2] Spellings with ⟨exs-⟩ and ⟨exequ-⟩ are also recorded.[3][4]
Earliest recorded meaning
Du Cange cites a charter of 1379 from Nîmes, spelled exequtare, for seizing a person's goods as pledges.[4]
Semantic evolution
Its general sense was “to carry out, perform”, as in a document of an assembly of bishops at Caspe in Aragon.[4] In law it meant to distrain: the customs of Toulouse speak of seizing a debtor's goods,[4] and Polish charters use it for forcing peasants to pay their dues.[3] A Paris record of 1423 uses it for putting people to death by sentence of justice.[4][1] Through Old French executer it gave English execute.[2]
Timeline
- 1379 – A charter from Nîmes uses it for seizing goods as pledges.[4]
- 1409 – A Polish charter uses it for exacting unpaid dues from peasants.[3]
- 1423 – A record of the Paris chamber of accounts uses it for executing condemned people.[4]
Meanings
Verb
- (Medieval Latin) To carry out, perform.[4][1]
- (Medieval Latin, law) To distrain: to seize goods as pledges, to force payment of a debt.[4][3]
- (Medieval Latin) To put to death.[4][1]
Related words
- English execute
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre