action
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle English accion, from Old French action, from Latin āctiō (“act of doing or making”), from āctus, perfect passive participle of agō (“do, act”), + action suffix -iō; see act.
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
action (plural actions)
- Something done so as to accomplish a purpose.
- A way of motion or functioning.
- Knead bread with a rocking action.
- A fast-paced activity.
- an action movie
- A mechanism; a moving part or assembly.
- a rifle action
- (music): The mechanism, that is the set of moving mechanical parts, of a keyboard instrument, like a piano, which transfers the motion of the key to the sound-making device.[1]
- (slang) sexual intercourse.
- She gave him some action.
- The distance separating the strings and the fretboard on the guitar.
- (military) Combat.
- He saw some action in the Korean War.
- (law) A charge or other process in a law court (also called lawsuit and actio).
- (mathematics) A homomorphism from a group to a group of automorphisms.
- One of the earliest uses of groups, according to lore, was the study of the action of
on the equilateral triangle.
- One of the earliest uses of groups, according to lore, was the study of the action of
- The event or connected series of events, either real or imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition; the unfolding of the drama of events.
- (art, painting and sculpture) The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted.
- (business, obsolete, a Gallicism) A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds.
- Burke
- The Euripus of funds and actions.
- Burke
on the equilateral triangle.Derived terms [edit]
Terms derived from action (noun)
Related terms [edit]
See also [edit]
Translations [edit]
something done so as to accomplish a purpose
way of motion or functioning
fast-paced activity
mechanism
|
military: combat
law: A charge
homomorphism
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
Interjection [edit]
action
- Demanding or signifying the start of something, usually an act or scene of a theatric performance.
- The director yelled ‘Action!’ before the camera started rolling.
Translations [edit]
signifying the start of something
Verb [edit]
action (third-person singular simple present actions, present participle actioning, simple past and past participle actioned)
- (transitive, management) To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect.
- 2004, Ros Jay, Richard Templar, “Fast thinking: project”, in Fast Thinking Manager's Manual[1], edition Second edition, Pearson Education, ISBN 9780273681052, Fast Thinking Leader, page 276:
- ‘Here, give me the minutes of Monday’s meeting. I’ll action your points for you while you get on and sort out the open day.’
- 2005, Fritz Liebreich, “The physical confrontation: interception and diversion policies in theory and practice”, in Britain's Navel and Political Reaction to the Illegal Immigration of Jews to Palestine, 1945-1948[2], Routledge, ISBN 9780714656373, page 196:
- Violent reactions from the Jewish authorities were expected and difficulties of actioning the new guidelines were foreseen.
- 2007, Great Britain: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, “Case study: 11257”, in Tax Credits: Getting it wrong? 5th report session 2006-2007[3], The Stationery Office, ISBN 9780102951172, Chapter 2: Changes and developments since June 2005, page 26:
- HMRC said that one reason they had not actioned her appeal was because she had said in her appeal form ‘I am appealing against the overpayment for childcare for 2003-04, 2004-05’, thus implying she was disputing her ‘overpayment’.
- 2004, Ros Jay, Richard Templar, “Fast thinking: project”, in Fast Thinking Manager's Manual[1], edition Second edition, Pearson Education, ISBN 9780273681052, Fast Thinking Leader, page 276:
- (transitive, chiefly archaic) To initiate a legal action against someone.
- 1856, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, The Attaché: or Sam Slick in England[4], edition New Revised Edition, Stringer & Townsend, Chapter XLVII: The Horse Stealer; or All Trades Have Tricks But Our Own, page 270:
- ‘I have no business to settle with you—arrest me, Sir, at your peril and I’ll action you in law for false imprisonment.’
- 1844, Robert Mackenzie Daniel, The Grave Digger: A novel by the author of The Scottish Heiress[5], volume I, T. C. Newby, Chapter IX: How the Grave-differ entertained a lady, page 189-190:
- “Scrip threatened me at first with an action for slander—he spoke of actions to the wrong man though—action! no, no no. I should have actioned him—ha! ha! [...]”
- 1871, Michael Shermer quoting Alfred Russell Wallace, In Darwin’s shadow: The Life and Science of Alfred Russell Wallace[6], Oxford University Press US, ISBN 9780195148305, published 2002, Chapter 10. Heretic Personality, page 261:
- I have actioned him for Libel, but he won’t plead, and says he will make himself bankrupt & won’t pay a penny.
- 1996, Darryl Mark Ogier, “Discipline: Enforcement”, in Reformation and Society in Guernsey[7], Boydell & Brewer, ISBN 9780851156033, Part Two: The Calvinist Regime, page 148:
- In 1589 the Court went so far as to effect a reconciliation between Michel le Petevin and his wife after she actioned him for ill treatment and adultery with their chambermaid.
- 1856, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, The Attaché: or Sam Slick in England[4], edition New Revised Edition, Stringer & Townsend, Chapter XLVII: The Horse Stealer; or All Trades Have Tricks But Our Own, page 270:
Usage notes [edit]
- The verb sense to action is rejected by some usage authorities.[2]
References [edit]
- OED 2nd edition 1989
- Notes:
- ^ Marshall Cavendish Corporation Growing Up with Science p.1079
- ^ “She Literally Exploded : The Daily Telegraph Infuriating Phrasebook”, Christopher Howse and Richard Preston (Constable‧London, 2007; ISBN 978‒1‒84529‒675‒9), page 3
External links [edit]
- action in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- action in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
Anagrams [edit]
French [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Old French acciun, aucion, etymologically reconstructed in Middle French to resemble the Latin actiō.
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
action f (plural actions)
- action, act
- campaign
- une action promotionnelle
- a promotional campaign
- une action promotionnelle
- stock, share
- une action de capitalisation
- a capitalisation share
- une action de capitalisation
Anagrams [edit]
Middle French [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Old French acciun, aucion, etymologically reconstructed to resemble the Latin actiō.
Noun [edit]
action f (plural actions)
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Music
- English slang
- en:Military
- en:Law
- en:Mathematics
- en:Art
- en:Business
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English interjections
- English verbs
- en:Management
- English archaic terms
- French terms derived from Old French
- French terms derived from Middle French
- French terms derived from Latin
- French nouns
- French feminine nouns
- French countable nouns
- Middle French terms derived from Old French
- Middle French terms derived from Latin
- Middle French nouns
