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elect

Etymology and origin of the English word elect

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1425
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*leǵ-)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪˈlɛkt/ (UK); /ɪˈlɛkt/, /i-/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English, from Latin ēlēctus, chosen, the past participle of ēligere, to pick out, select,[2][3][4] from ē-, out, and -ligere, the combining form of legere, to choose, read (see legend),[2][3][5] from Proto-Indo-European *leg-, to collect, gather.[3] In Late Latin electus also meant chosen by God.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb, to choose, and the adjective, voluntary: probably before 1425, in a translation of Higden;[2] the early 15th century in Etymonline.[3]

Semantic evolution

Chosen for office is from 1447, and selected from 1477.[2] Chosen by God, especially for salvation, is from 1526,[6] and the noun, those chosen by God, the elect, from the early 15th century.[3] Chosen to an office but not yet installed, as president-elect, is from 1643.[6][4] To choose by vote is Hoad's 15th-century sense of the verb,[4] and to choose to do something, decide, is a later use.[7][8]

Timeline

  • before 1425 – to choose; voluntary.[2]
  • 1447 – chosen for office.[2]
  • 1526 – chosen by God.[6]
  • 1643 – elected but not installed.[6]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To choose by vote for an office or membership.
  2. To choose or decide: she elected to stay.
  3. (theology) Of God, to choose for salvation.

Adjective

  1. Elected but not yet installed, placed after the noun: the president-elect.
  2. Chosen or select; singled out.

Noun

  1. (the elect) Those chosen by God for salvation, or an exclusive group.

Word family

  • president-elect
  • nonelected
  • unelected
  • electable
  • elector
  • nonelect
  • preelect
  • reelect

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Elect.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/elect. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·