elect
elect Lexical Profile
elect Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To choose someone to hold public office or another official position by voting.
"Citizens gather every four years to elect a new president."
To choose or decide to do something, especially as a formal or deliberate preference.
"Several senior employees elected to take early retirement this year."
• adjective
Chosen by election for an office or position, but not yet formally installed or inaugurated (typically placed immediately after the noun).
"The governor-elect announced the members of her transition team."
Carefully chosen or singled out as superior, exclusive, or privileged; in theology, chosen by God for salvation.
"Only an elect circle of scholars was granted access to the fragile medieval manuscripts."
• noun
People who are chosen by God for salvation or eternal life, or a privileged, exclusive group of people (usually preceded by 'the').
"In Calvinist theology, only the elect are predestined for eternal salvation."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to a person who has been chosen for an office not yet assumed, 'elect' is placed postpositively after the title (usually hyphenated, as in 'president-elect' or 'mayor-elect').
• Rhymes for elect
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Latin 'electus', the past participle of 'eligere' ('to pick out, select'), formed from 'ex-' ('out') and 'legere' ('to choose, gather, read').