Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to drive, draw out or forth, move.' Action-packed is attested from 1953, originally of movies. Phrase actions speak louder than words is attested from 1731. In action 'in a condition of effective operation' is from 1650s. 1600 that seem to mean 'noteworthy activity.' The meaning 'excitement' is recorded from 1968.

īut there are uses of action as far back as c. Each bet is made for the turn only, unless the player chooses to leave it until he gets some action on it. If it does not appear after a turn has been made, the player is at liberty to change his bet, or to remove it altogether. No 'action' can be had on a bet until the card bet upon appears. The meaning 'noteworthy or important activity' in a modern sense by 1933, as in the figurative phrase a piece of the action (by 1965), perhaps from a sense of action in card-playing jargon by 1914. As a film director's command, it is attested from 1923. Meaning 'way in which (a firearm, etc.) acts' is from 1845. Meaning 'military fighting' is from 1590s.

Sense of 'something done, an act, deed' is late 14c. Meaning 'active exertion, activity' is from late 14c. Spelling with the restored Latin -t- begins in 15c. Mid-14c., accioun, '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- 'to drive, draw out or forth, move').

Actions synonym