choice

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tʃɔɪs/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English chois, borrowed from Old French chois (“one's choice”),^[2][3][4] from choisir (“to choose; to discern, perceive”),^[2][5] from Vulgar Latin *causīre,^[4][6] of Germanic origin:^[2][4] Barnhart, Klein and Merriam-Webster compare Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kausjan, “to test, examine”).^[3][7][8] The Germanic base is that of choose,^[5][9] Old English cēosan (“to choose, taste”), from Proto-Indo-European *geus- (“to taste; to choose”).^[2][4] Choice replaced the native Old English cyre (“choice, free will”), from the same base, probably because the French word sounded closer to choose.^[2][3][6] The adjective is from the noun.^[5][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of choosing: 1297^[10] or about 1300,^[2][3] and the power of choosing, before 1300^[10] or the early 14th century.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The thing or person chosen is from the late 14th century.^[2] Something chosen for its excellence, the best part, is from 1494,^[10] and a variety to choose among from 1486.^[10] The adjective, “worthy to be chosen, excellent”, is from the mid-14th century,^[2][10] and the Shakespearean choice spirit from 1591.^[10] Hobson's choice, the option of taking the one thing offered or nothing, is from 1660.^[10] In the United States, choice is a government grade of meat above good and below prime.^[11]

Timeline

• 1297 – the act of choosing.^[10]
• before 1300 – the power of choosing.^[10]
• mid-14th century – adjective, excellent.^[2][10]
• late 14th century – the thing chosen.^[2]
• 1486 – a variety to choose from.^[10]
• 1494 – the best part.^[10]
• 1660 – Hobson's choice.^[10]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of choosing; selection.
2. The power or right to choose; an option.
3. The person or thing chosen.
4. A range of things to choose from.
5. The best part.

Adjective

1. Of very fine quality; select.
2. Carefully chosen: choice words.

Word family

• choicely
• choiceness
• choiceless
• anti-choice
• multiple-choice
• prechoice
• pro-choice
• sailor's-choice

Related words

• choose
• chosen
• choosy
• gusto
• degustation

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary compares choice with alternative, option, preference, selection and election.^[11] Word Origins notes that choose, brought by the Anglo-Saxons, and choice, which came through French from the same Germanic root, illustrate the mixture of the two sources of English.^[12]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
5. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
11. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
12. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press