Etymograph

English

execute

Execute comes from Latin exsecutus ‘having executed, accomplished’, from sequor ‘to follow’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sekʷ-1‘to follow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sékʷetor1‘to be following’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekʷōr1‘to follow, come/go after’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequor2‘to follow’next step skipped: Latin exsequor
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexsecutus2‘having executed, accomplished’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400executer2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1591execute2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin sequor
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English execute
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1591, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Sixt: “Was not thy Father, Richard, Earle of Cambridge, /…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sekʷ-Wiktionary, Latin sequor‘to follow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sékʷetorWiktionary, Latin sequor‘to be following’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekʷōrWiktionary, Latin sequor‘to follow, come/go after’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequorWiktionary, English execute‘to follow’next step skipped: Latin exsequor
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexsecutusWiktionary, English execute‘having executed, accomplished’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400executerWiktionary, English execute
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1591executeWiktionary, English execute. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1591, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Sixt: “Was not thy Father, Richard, Earle of Cambridge, /…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- ‘to follow’

see, say, social, second, saw, society, sight, subsequent, sue, associate, consequence, consequently, suite, saga, intrinsic, sequential, sequestration, dissociation, extrinsic, seg, sequester, dissociate, 32 more

through Proto-Italic *sekʷōr ‘to follow, come/go after’

pursuit, suitor, 17 more

through Latin sequor ‘to follow’

suit, sequence, pursue, sequel, consecutive, prosecution, sect, persecution, consequent, ensue, segue, sequitur, persecute, 19 more

Today it means

verb To kill, especially as punishment for a capital crime.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “execute”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin sequor. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- / execute

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