action
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈæk.ʃn̩/
rhymes: -ækʃən
Forms: form: actions
form: actioning
form: actioned
form: actioned
Etymology: From Middle English accioun, accion, from Old French aucion, acciun, from Latin āctiō(n) (“act of doing or making”), from āct(us) + action suffix -iō(n), perfect passive participle of agere (“do, act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti. See also act, active. By surface analysis, act + -ion.
Senses: examples: text: ‘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.’
ref: 2004, Ros Jay, Richard Templar, “Fast thinking: project”, in Fast Thinking Manager's Manual, 2nd edition, Pearson Education, →ISBN, Fast Thinking Leader, page 276:
text: Violent reactions from the Jewish authorities were expected and difficulties of actioning the new guidelines were foreseen.
ref: 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, Routledge, →ISBN, page 196:
text: 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’.
ref: 2007, Great Britain: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, “Case study: 11257”, in Tax Credits: Getting it wrong? 5th report session 2006-2007, The Stationery Office, →ISBN, Chapter 2: Changes and developments since June 2005, page 26:
text: Do say: “I can action that for you going forward, my little summer squash.”
ref: 2024 May 13, “Spice up your spreadsheets! Should you run your relationship like a business?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
topics: management
glosses: To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect.
examples: text: ‘I have no business to settle with you—arrest me, Sir, at your peril and I’ll action you in law for false imprisonment.’
ref: 1856, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, The Attaché: or Sam Slick in England, new revised edition, Stringer & Townsend, Chapter XLVII: The Horse Stealer; or All Trades Have Tricks But Our Own, page 270:
text: “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! [...]”
ref: 1844, Robert Mackenzie Daniel, The Grave Digger: A novel by the author of The Scottish Heiress, volume I, T. C. Newby, Chapter IX: How the Grave-differ entertained a lady, pages 189–190:
text: I have actioned him for Libel, but he won’t plead, and says he will make himself bankrupt & won’t pay a penny.
ref: 1871, Michael Shermer, quoting Alfred Russell Wallace, In Darwin’s shadow: The Life and Science of Alfred Russell Wallace, Oxford University Press US, published 2002, →ISBN, Chapter 10. Heretic Personality, page 261:
text: 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.
ref: 1996, Darryl Mark Ogier, “Discipline: Enforcement”, in Reformation and Society in Guernsey, Boydell & Brewer, →ISBN, Part Two: The Calvinist Regime, page 148:
glosses: To initiate a legal action against someone.