Executor
/ˈɛɡ.zɪ.kjuː.tər/noun
A person appointed to carry out the instructions of a will or perform a specified task.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin exsequi, “to follow out” or “carry through,” linking modern estate law to the same ancient root behind sequence and pursuit.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sekw-
“To follow”
Classical Latin
Latin
exsequi
“To follow out, carry through, or perform”
Late Latin
Latin
exsecutor
“One who carries out or performs something”
Middle English
Anglo-Norman
executour
“An officer or agent who carries out an act, especially a legal one”
14th Century
English
executor
“A person appointed to administer a deceased person’s estate”
Modern English
English
executor
“A person legally responsible for carrying out the instructions of a will”