elect

See also: -elect

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ēlēctus, past participle of ēligō (“to pick out, choose, elect”), from ē- (“out”) + legō (“to pick out, pick, gather, collect, etc.”); see legend.

Cognate to eclectic, which is via Ancient Greek rather than Latin, hence prefix ἐκ (ek), rather than e- (from ex).

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪˈlɛkt/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ɪˈlɛkt/, /i-/, /ə-/
  • Audio (General American):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛkt

Noun

elect (plural elects or elect)

  1. One chosen or set apart.
  2. (Christianity, theology) Someone chosen by God for salvation.
    1. (Calvinism) One foreordained to Heaven.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

elect (third-person singular simple present elects, present participle electing, simple past and past participle elected)

  1. (transitive) To choose or make a decision (to do something).
  2. (transitive) (Of a group) to officially select one or more candidates in an election to hold office.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

elect (not comparable)

  1. (postpositive) Who has been elected in a specified post, but has not yet entered office.
    He is the President elect.
    • 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter 16, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
      She began almost to feel a dislike of Edward; and it ended, as every feeling must end with her, by carrying back her thoughts to Willoughby, whose manners formed a contrast sufficiently striking to those of his brother elect.
  2. Chosen; taken by preference from among two or more.

Usage notes

When denoting someone who has been elected but not yet entered office, the title is usually hyphenated (e.g. president-elect, senator-elect, representative-elect, mayor-elect, etc.). The plural forms are created by pluralizing the office (e.g. presidents-elect, senators-elect, representatives-elect, mayors-elect, etc.).

Translations

Further reading

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