executioner
nounUS /ˌɛksəˈkjuʃənɚ/ · UK /ˌɛksəˈkjuːʃənə/
Etymology From execution + -er.
1
An official person who carries out the capital punishment of a criminal.
- He would probably have died by the hand of the executioner, if indeed the executioner had not been anticipated by the populace.1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XX, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
- Underpinning that power was a reign of terror the like of which Chechens had not seen since the days of Stalin. Even the Russian contraktniki, or freelance fighters, were not as feared as Mr Kadyrov's private army of kidnappers, torturers and executioners were.2004 May 11, “Prisoners of the Caucasus”, in The Guardian:
2
Archaic Executor.
3
A hit man, especially being in some organization.
- Synonyms
- carnifex, deathsman, doomsman, executioner, executor, halseman, Jack Ketch, lockman, manqueller
- Derived terms
- executioneress, judge, jury and executioner
- Related terms
- electrocutioner, execute, execution, executor
- Hyponyms
- derrick, electrocutioner, executioneress, guillotiner, guillotinist, hangman, headsman, headswoman, ketch