Action

1. The mechanical contrivance by means of which the impulse of the player's finger is transmitted to the strings of a pianoforte or to the valve of an organ pipe.
2. Gesticulation; the external deportment of the speaker, or the suiting of his attitude, voice, gestures, and countenance, to the subject, or to the feelings.
3. A suit or process, by which a demand is made of a right in a court of justice; in a broad sense, a judicial proceeding for the enforcement or protection of a right, the redress or prevention of a wrong, or the punishment of a public offense.
4. Any one of the active processes going on in an organism; the performance of a function; as, the action of the heart, the muscles, or the gastric juice.
5. A process or condition of acting or moving, as opposed to rest; the doing of something; exertion of power or force, as when one body acts on another; the effect of power exerted on one body by another; agency; activity; operation; as, the action of heat; a man of action.
6. A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds; hence, in the plural, equivalent to stocks.
7. An engagement between troops in war, whether on land or water; a battle; a fight; as, a general action, a partial action.
8. Effective motion; also, mechanism; as, the breech action of a gun.
9. An act; a thing done; a deed; an enterprise. (pl.): Habitual deeds; hence, conduct; behavior; demeanor.
10. The event or connected series of events, either real or imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition; the unfolding of the drama of events.
11. The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted.
12. A right of action; as, the law gives an action for every claim.
13. Movement; as, the horse has a spirited action.