/ɪˈlɛkʃən/·noun·c. 1300, Middle English 'eleccioun', in theological contexts; political/parliamentary sense attested by mid-14th century·Established
Origin
From Latin eligere (to pick out), itself from ex- + legere (to gather), election entered English in the 13th century carrying both theological weight — God's sovereign choosing of souls — and civic meaning, with the political sense graduallydominating as parliamentary democracy took hold.
Definition
The formal process by which a person is chosen for an office, position, or membership by vote or collective decision.
The Full Story
Middle English / Anglo-French13th–14th centurywell-attested
'Election' enters English in the late 13th century, first attested around 1300, borrowed directly from Anglo-French and Old French 'election', which itself derives from Latin 'electio' (genitive 'electionis'), meaning 'a choosing, selection, choice'. The Latinnoun is formed from the past participle stem 'elect-' of the verb 'eligere' — composed of the prefix 'e-' (variant of 'ex-', 'out') plus 'legere' ('to choose, pick out, gather, read'). In classical Latin, 'electio' was used in legal, rhetorical, and philosophical contexts for the exercise of deliberate
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The word 'elite' is a direct etymological sibling of 'election': French élite comes from the past participle of élire, the Old French descendant of Latin eligere — the same verb that gives us elect. When English borrowed 'elite' in the 18th century to mean the specially chosen few, it was unknowingly borrowing back a word it had already half-owned for four centuries under a different name.
), 'diligere' (to value, love), and 'colleague' (from 'colligare'). In Greek, the same root gives 'legein' (to speak, gather) and 'logos' (word, reason). English cognates sharing this root include: elect, select, collect, neglect, diligent, intelligent, legend, lecture, legion, and elegant. The English political sense — a formal vote to choose an officeholder — was well established by the 14th century and is recorded in parliamentary contexts. Wycliffe's Bible translations (c. 1380) use 'eleccioun' in the theological sense. Key roots: *leǵ- (Proto-Indo-European: "to collect, gather (whence Latin legere: to choose, read)"), ex- / e- (Latin: "out of, from — directional prefix intensifying the selection sense: 'to gather out'"), legere (Latin: "to pick, choose, gather, read — the direct verbal source of electio via its participial stem elect-").