executioner

From execution + -er.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɛksəˈkjuʃənɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɛksəˈkjuːʃənə/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Hyphenation: ex‧e‧cu‧tion‧er

executioner (plural executioners)

1. An official person who carries out the capital punishment of a criminal.
   • 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:

     He would probably have died by the hand of the executioner, if indeed the executioner had not been anticipated by the populace.

   • 2004 May 11, “Prisoners of the Caucasus”, in The Guardian:

     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.

2. (archaic) Executor.
3. A hit man, especially being in some organization.

• electrocutioner
• execute
• execution
• executor