Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “elect” come from?

Elect comes from Latin electus, the past participle of eligere, meaning "to pick out," derived from ex- "out" and legere "to gather or choose," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leǵ-.

elect (English): One chosen or set apart; In Calvinist theology,...

Definitions

  1. One chosen or set apart; In Calvinist theology,...

Ancestry of “elect”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinēlēctus—
2Latinēligō—
3Latinlegō—
4Latinlēx—
5Proto-Italiclēg-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-s—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...

Words derived from “elect”

  • elective
  • reelect
  • electively
  • electable
  • nonelective
  • electability
  • unelectable
  • nonelect
  • unelect
  • electee
  • electiveness
  • electeth
  • unelectability
  • preelect
  • electest
  • unelectably
  • champion-elect
  • Vice-President-elect
  • -elect
  • president-elect
  • reelekti
  • elektado
  • elekta
  • elekti
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- →