EXEC
     n : the chief executive department of the United States
         government [syn: {White House}]
Source: WordNet® 2.0

exec /eg-zek'/ or /eks'ek/ vt., n. 1. [Unix: from `execute'] Synonym
   for {chain}, derives from the `exec(2)' call. 2. [from `executive'] obs.
   The command interpreter for an {OS} (see {shell}); term esp. used around
   mainframes, and prob. derived from UNIVAC's archaic EXEC 2 and EXEC 8
   operating systems. 3. At IBM and VM/CMS shops, the equivalent of a shell
   command file (among VM/CMS users).

   The mainstream `exec' as an abbreviation for (human) executive is
   _not_ used. To a hacker, an `exec' is always a program, never a person.


Source: The Jargon File