Capital killings as sentence for a criminal conviction is *one* meaning of the word "execution", sure, but not the *only* one. In the broader sense the word "execution" is used for killings which are done in a ritualized fashion in some manner, like mob-related "executions".
"In the broader sense the word "execution" is used for killings which are done in a ritualized fashion in some manner, like mob-related "executions"."
Using the word "execution" in this broader sense tends to give the barbaric actions of murderous thugs an aura of pseudo-legitamacy. I wish President Bush and others would stop using it this way. What is wrong with saying "barbaric murder"?