Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A person or group having administrative or managerial authority in an organization.
  • noun The chief officer of a government, state, or political division.
  • noun The branch of government charged with putting into effect a country's laws and the administering of its functions.
  • noun Computers A set of coded instructions designed to process and control other coded instructions.
  • adjective Of, relating to, capable of, or suited for carrying out or executing.
  • adjective Having, characterized by, or relating to administrative or managerial authority.
  • adjective Of or relating to the branch of government charged with the execution and administration of the nation's laws.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Concerned with or pertaining to executing, performing, or carrying into effect: specifically applied to that branch of government which is intrusted with the execution of the laws, as distinguished from the legislative and judicial.
  • Suited for executing or carrying into effect; of the kind requisite for practical performance or direction: as, executive ability.
  • noun That branch of a government to which the execution of the laws is intrusted; an officer of a government, or an official body, charged with the execution and enforcement of the laws. The executive may be a king, emperor, president, council, or other magistrate or body.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Designed or fitted for execution, or carrying into effect; ; qualifying for, concerned with, or pertaining to, the execution of the laws or the conduct of affairs
  • adjective of or pertaining to an executive{2} or to the group of executives within an organization.
  • noun An impersonal title of the chief magistrate or officer who administers the government, whether king, president, or governor; the governing person or body.
  • noun a person who has administrative authority over an organization or division of an organization; a manager, supervisor or administrator at a high level within an organization

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Designed or fitted for execution, or carrying into effect.
  • adjective Of, pertaining to, or having responsibility for the day-to-day running of an organisation, business, country, etc.; as, an executive act, an executive officer, executive government.
  • noun A title of a chief officer or administrator, especially one who can make significant decisions on her/his own authority.
  • noun That branch of government which is responsible for enforcing laws and judicial decisions, and for the day-to-day administration of the state.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun someone who manages a government agency or department
  • noun persons who administer the law
  • noun a person responsible for the administration of a business
  • adjective having the function of carrying out plans or orders etc.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, to be carried out, from Old French exécutif, from executer, to carry out; see execute.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French executif.

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