Action
Etimology of “-ee”
(You will find terms ending with -ee at the world legal encyclopedia and the etimology of more terms).
word-forming element in legal English (and in imitation of it), representing the Anglo-French -é ending of past participles used as nouns (compare -y (3)). As these sometimes were coupled with agent nouns in -or, the two suffixes came to be used as a pair to denote the initiator and the recipient of an action. Not to be confused with the French -ée that is a feminine noun ending (as in fiancée), which is from Latin -ata.
Grammar
This term is a noun.
Etimology of Action
(You may find action at the world legal encyclopedia and the etimology of more terms).
mid-14c., “cause or grounds for a lawsuit,” from Anglo-French accioun, Old French accion, action (12c.) “action; lawsuit, case,” from Latin actionem (nominative actio) “a putting in motion; a performing, a doing; public acts, official conduct; lawsuit, legal action” (source also of Spanish accion, Italian azione), noun of action from past participle stem of agere “to do” (from PIE root *ag- (1) “to drive, draw out or forth, move”). Meaning “active exertion, activity” is from late 14c. Sense of “something done, an act, deed” is late 14c. Meaning “military fighting” is from 1590s. Meaning “way in which (a firearm, etc.) acts” is from 1845. As a film director’s command, it is attested from 1923. Meaning “noteworthy or important activity” is from 1933, as in the figurative phrase a piece of the action (1966). Meaning “excitement” is recorded from 1968. In action “in a condition of effective operation” is from 1650s. Phrase actions speak louder than words is attested from 1731. Action-packed is attested from 1953, originally of movies.
Resources
See Also
Further Reading
“The National and Community Service Act of 1990.” Available from https://www.cns.gov/about/ogc/legislation.html.
United States Congress, Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, Special Subcommittee on Human Resources. Action Act of 1972 and Action Domestic Programs. Joint hearing before the Special Subcommittee on Human Resources and the Subcommittee on Aging of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, United States Senate, 92nd Congress, Second session on S. 3450and related bills, Older Americans Action Programs. Washinton, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1972.
Kirk H. Beetz
Action in Law Enforcement
Main Entry: Law Enforcement in the Legal Dictionary. This section provides, in the context of Law Enforcement, a partial definition of action.
Resources
See Also
- Law Enforcement Officer
- Police Officer
- Law Enforcement Agency
Further Reading
- action in A Dictionary of Law Enforcement (Oxford University Press)
- action in the Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement
- A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis
English Legal System: Action
In the context of the English law, A Dictionary of Law provides the following legal concept of Action :
A proceeding in which a party pursues a legal right in a civil court.
See also in personam; in rem.
Meaning of Action in the U.S. Legal System
Definition of Action published by the National Association for Court Management: Case, cause, suit, or controversy disputed or contested before a court of justice.
Legal Usage of Action(s) in English
An European Commission document offers the following explanation about the misused of Action(s) :In European Union texts, the word ‘action’ is used countably (see introduction) with a meaning akin to ‘scheme’, ‘measure’ or ‘project’ (actually, a number of terms are used in this connection but it is unclear as to the exact relationship between them5). Although native speakers (including the Commission’s editing experts) often identify this use as wrong, it is actually quite difficult to identify exactly why it sounds so peculiar. One reason is certainly the fact that, in this meaning (‘the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim6’), ‘action’ is uncountable in English and therefore does not take a plural (see the introduction). In addition to this, apart from a number of very specific cases (a lawsuit, an armed conflict, a mechanism etc.) it just means a ‘deed’ or ‘a thing done’. The awkward nature of the European Union use is shown, among other things, by the fact that authors seem uncertain as to which verb to use with it, so in European Union English, actions (meaning projects) are ‘taken’, ‘implemented’, ‘executed’, ‘performed’ and even ‘pursued’, none of which manages to sound quite right. Generally speaking, there is a certain amount of confusion as to whether actions are sub-measures, measures are sub-actions or the two terms are synonymous.
Example
‘Measures may include specific actions for the development of e-Government7.’ ‘Action 1 Measure 1.1 – Town twinning citizens’ meetings – EUR 58960008.’
Alternatives
Where ‘action’ is used countably as a synonym for ‘scheme’, ‘project’ or ‘measure’, the latter are preferable. Generally speaking, there is a certain amount of confusion as to the terminology in this field and it would be useful if the European Union institutions were more consistent.
Resources
Further Reading
- David Mellinkoff, “Mellinkoff’s Dictionary of American Legal Usage”, West Publishing Company, 1992
- Bryan A. Garner, “A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage”, West Publishing Company, 1995
Action
Action
Action
Meaning of Action
Resources
See Also
Meaning of Action
In this law dictionary, the legal term action is a kind of the Patents class.
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