executief

Executief is a Dutch term used mainly as an adjective to describe things related to the execution of policy or to the leadership responsible for running an organization. It originates from the English word executive and, through historical language contact with French and Latin, functions as a loanword in Dutch. In contemporary usage, it appears most often in business and organizational contexts.

In business Dutch, executief refers to the top tier of management. It is commonly seen in phrases such as executief management or executieve top to describe the senior leadership team that makes strategic decisions. The noun form is less frequent in everyday speech, but some sectors do use de executieve to denote the executives as a group. More common alternatives for the same concept are directie (board of directors) or management.

In governmental and public administration contexts, the standard Dutch term for the branch responsible for implementing laws and running the state is uitvoerende macht (the executive branch). In these settings, executief is used more often in international or comparative discussions, or as a loanword in bilingual texts, rather than as the everyday Dutch label for government leadership.

Common contrasts include executief versus uitvoerend: the former is a loanword-based label emphasizing executive functions or leadership, while the latter is the canonical Dutch term for the act or realm of executing laws and policy. In practice, Dutch speakers typically choose the most precise term for the context, using directie or management for corporate leadership and uitvoerende macht for government.

Overall, executief functions as a specialized, largely English-derived term within Dutch, signaling executive-level responsibility and top-management dynamics, with usage concentrated in corporate and cross-border discourse.