*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of exec

Clipping of executive.

4 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

An executive; a person employed at the executive level. · An executive officer, i.e. the chief assistant to the commanding officer.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of executive.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clip",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "executive"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of executive"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "executive",
      "executive#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An executive; a person employed at the executive level.",
        "An executive officer, i.e. the chief assistant to the commanding officer."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "55842a2e5c5a968cc1d40fea48897f8bbeade06057451927b1ee65b250c52f00",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e6cff4d69e8438b5e385437905bf9da7aebf88316724b91aea92f8dc1aaee55f",
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To execute; to run.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of execute.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clip",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "execute"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of execute"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "execute",
      "execute#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To execute; to run."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "b33110d55cba9c37e738ae2e14b75f36d3800add7ef298fa5407d6623c4bbe7a",
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of exe (“a Windows executable file”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of executable.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clip",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "executable"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of executable"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "executable",
      "executable#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of exe (“a Windows executable file”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

Clipping of executioner.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of executioner.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clip",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "executioner"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of executioner"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "executioner",
      "executioner#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of executioner."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping",
        "informal"
      ],
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for exec →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZXhlYw