Etymograph

English

executor

Executor comes from Latin exsecūtor ‘accomplisher, performer’, from sequor ‘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 CEsequor1‘follow’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexsequor2‘to follow after thoroughly, steadfastly accompany, go after, seek after’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexsecūtor3‘accomplisher, performer’
  7. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400executour3
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500executour3
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1599executor3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin exsequor
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin exsecutor
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English executor
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fift: “The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hum, / Delivering…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sekʷ-Wiktionary, Latin exsequor‘to follow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sékʷetorWiktionary, Latin exsequor‘to be following’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekʷōrWiktionary, Latin exsequor‘to follow, come/go after’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsequorWiktionary, Latin exsequor‘follow’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexsequorWiktionary, Latin exsecutor‘to follow after thoroughly, steadfastly accompany, go after, seek after’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexsecūtorWiktionary, English executor‘accomplisher, performer’
  7. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400executourWiktionary, English executor
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500executourWiktionary, English executor
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1599executorWiktionary, English executor. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fift: “The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hum, / Delivering…”

Linked words

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

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

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

pursuit, suitor, 17 more

through Latin sequor ‘follow’

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

Today it means

noun A person who carries out some task.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “executor”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin exsequor, Latin exsecutor. 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- / executor

Shirt and support for this word