Etymologically
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eligibility

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 21:53. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/[1]
  • US: /ˌɛl.ə.d͡ʒəˈbɪl.ə.ti/[1]

Etymology

It was formed from English eligible + -ity in English.[2][3][4][5] The OED compares Medieval Latin eligibilitas, found in a British source of the 14th century,[2] and Klein French éligibilité.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Fitness to be chosen or preferred, desirability: 1651, in Jeremy Taylor's Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying;[2] Etymonline dates the word to the 1640s, as "worthiness to be chosen".[3]

Semantic evolution

The early sense of suitability or desirability was used especially of a partner in marriage,[2] and Merriam-Webster records an archaic sense, advantage or preferability, with a quotation from Jane Austen: "full of eligibility".[6] Johnson (1755) gave only "worthiness to be chosen".[5] The legal sense, the condition of being qualified to be chosen for an office, is recorded from 1688[2] (from 1715 in Etymonline),[3] and widened to entitlement to a position, award or benefit by meeting set conditions.[2][6] The plural eligibilities meant desirable qualities from 1660, and rights arising from meeting given criteria from 1790.[2]

Timeline

  • 1651 – fitness to be chosen, desirability.[2]
  • 1660 – plural, eligible qualities.[2]
  • 1688 – qualification for an office.[2]
  • 1715 – legal qualification to be chosen, in Etymonline.[3]
  • 1755 – Johnson: worthiness to be chosen.[5]
  • 1790 – plural, rights arising from criteria.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The state of being eligible; qualification or entitlement to do or receive something: Students must confirm their eligibility for the grant by May.
  2. Suitability to be chosen, especially as a marriage partner.
  3. (archaic) Advantage or preferability.

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  5. ^ a b c Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster