selective
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /səˈlɛktɪv/[1]
Etymology
It is formed in English from select and -ive,[2] from Latin sēlēctus, the past participle of sēligō (“to select”).[3]
Earliest recorded meaning
Having the faculty of selecting, characterized by selection: 1625 in the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1620s in Etymonline.[4][3][2]
Semantic evolution
It was applied to physical processes that select from 1843,[4] and in psychology to selective attention from 1875.[4] In wireless telegraphy, a system allowing several messages to be sent without interference is from 1906,[4] the origin of the radio sense, able to pick out a particular frequency.[5][6] Selective service, the American system of military conscription, is from 1917, and selectee from 1940.[2] Selective breeding is from 1931.[4]
Timeline
- 1625 – selective.[4][3]
- 1843 – of physical processes.[4]
- 1906 – in wireless telegraphy.[4]
- 1917 – selective service (US).[2]
- 1931 – selective breeding.[4]
Modern meaning
Adjective
- Choosing carefully; discriminating.
- Relating to or involving selection; affecting only some members of a group.
- (electronics) Able to separate out a particular frequency.
Word family
- selectively
- selectiveness
- selectivity
- nonselective
- unselective
- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
Related words
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins