eligo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈeː.lɪ.ɡoː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɛː.li.ɡo]^[1]

Forms

ēligō (present infinitive ēligere, perfect active ēlēgī, supine ēlēctum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ex- + legō (“to gather, choose”).^[2][3][1] The verb is inherited from Proto-Italic *leg-e-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-e/o- (“to gather”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,^[4] whose old man says no best woman can be chosen, since each is worse than the next.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Its literal sense was to pull out or extract, as Varro's lice picked from the heads of chicks and weeds pulled out.^[2][5] Its main sense was to pick out, select or choose, as Cicero's ex malis minima, “to choose the least of evils”.^[2][5]

It also meant to elect.^[1] Its participle electus gave English elect in the early 15th century, and elegans “choosy, fine” gave elegant.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of choosing a wife.^[2][7]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of picking out lice.^[2][7]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of choosing the least of evils.^[5][7]
• early 15th century – English elect is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To pull out, pick out, extract.^[2][1]
2. To select, choose.^[2][1]
3. To elect.^[1]

Word family

• ēlectō
• ēlectilis
• ēlēctiō
• ēlēctor
• ēlēctrīx
• ēlectus
• ēlegāns
• praeeligo
• ēlēctē
• ēligibilis

Related words

• allegō
• colligō
• dīligō
• intellegō
• legō
• neglegō
• perlegō
• relegō
• sēligō
• sublegō
• English elect
• English elegant

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de