Adjacent Words

Elect definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ELECT', v.t. [L. electus, from eligo; e or ex and lego; Gr. to choose.]
1. Properly, to pick out; to select from among two or more, that which is preferred. Hence,
2. To select or take for an office or employment; to choose from among a number; to select or manifest preference by vote or designation; as, to elect a representative by ballot or viva voce; to elect a president or governor.
3. In theology, to designate, choose or select as an object of mercy or favor.
4. To choose; to prefer; to determine in favor of.
ELECT', a. Chosen, taken by preference from among two or more. Hence,
1. In theology, chosen as the object of mercy; chosen, selected or designated to eternal life; predestinated in the divine counsels.
2. Chosen, but no inaugurated, consecrated or invested with office; as bishop elect; emperor elect; governor or mayor elect. But in the scriptures, and in theology, this word is generally used as a noun.
ELECT', n. One chosen or set apart; applied to Christ.
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. Isaiah 42.
1. Chosen or designated by God to salvation; predestinated to glory as the end, and to sanctification as the means; usually with a plural signification, the elect.
Shall not God avenge his own elect? Luke 18.
If it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Matthew 24.
He shall send his angels--and they shall gather his elect from the four winds. Matthew 24.
2. Chosen; selected; set apart as a peculiar church and people; applied to the Israelites. Isaiah 45.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: selected as the best; "an elect circle of artists"; "elite colleges" [syn: elect, elite]
2: elected but not yet installed in office; "the president elect" n
1: an exclusive group of people; "one of the elect who have power inside the government" [syn: chosen, elect] v
1: select by a vote for an office or membership; "We elected him chairman of the board"
2: choose; "I elected to have my funds deposited automatically"

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin electus, past participle of eligere to select, from e- + legere to choose — more at legend Date: 15th century 1. carefully selected ; chosen 2. chosen for salvation through divine mercy 3. a. chosen for office or position but not yet installed <the president-elect> b. chosen for marriage at some future time <the bride-elect> II. noun (plural elect) Date: 15th century 1. one chosen or set apart (as by divine favor) 2. plural a select or exclusive group of people III. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Latin electus Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to select by vote for an office, position, or membership <elected her class president> 2. to make a selection of <will elect an academic program> 3. to choose (as a course of action) especially by preference <might elect to sell the business> intransitive verb to make a selection

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & adj. --v.tr. (usu. foll. by to + infin.) 1 choose (the principles they elected to follow). 2 choose (a person) by vote (elected a new chairman). 3 Theol. (of God) choose (persons) in preference to others for salvation. --adj. 1 chosen. 2 select, choice. 3 Theol. chosen by God. 4 (after a noun designating office) chosen but not yet in office (president elect). Etymology: ME f. L electus past part. of eligere elect- (as E-, legere pick)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Elect E*lect", a. [L. electus, p. p. of eligere to elect; e out + legere to choose. See Legend, and cf. Elite, Eclectic.] 1. Chosen; taken by preference from among two or more. ``Colors quaint elect.'' --Spenser. 2. (Theol.) Chosen as the object of mercy or divine favor; set apart to eternal life. ``The elect angels.'' --1 Tim. v. 21. 3. Chosen to an office, but not yet actually inducted into it; as, bishop elect; governor or mayor elect.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Elect E*lect", n. 1. One chosen or set apart. Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. --Is. xlii. 1. 2. pl. (Theol.) Those who are chosen for salvation. Shall not God avenge his won elect? --Luke xviii. 7.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Elect E*lect", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Elected; p. pr. & vb. n. Electing.] 1. To pick out; to select; to choose. The deputy elected by the Lord. --Shak. 2. To select or take for an office; to select by vote; as, to elect a representative, a president, or a governor. 3. (Theol.) To designate, choose, or select, as an object of mercy or favor. Syn: To choose; prefer; select. See Choose.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(elects, electing, elected) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. When people elect someone, they choose that person to represent them, by voting for them. The people of the Philippines have voted to elect a new president... Manchester College elected him Principal in 1956... The country is about to take a radical departure by electing a woman as its new president. VERB: V n, V n n, V n as n • elected ...the country's democratically elected president. ADJ: ADJ n 2. If you elect to do something, you choose to do it. (FORMAL) Those electing to smoke will be seated at the rear. VERB: V to-inf 3. Elect is added after words such as 'president' or 'governor' to indicate that a person has been elected to the post but has not officially started to carry out the duties involved. (FORMAL) ...the date when the president-elect takes office. ADJ: n ADJ

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

e-lekt':

That is, "chosen," "selected."

In the Old Testament the word represents derivatives of bachar, elegit;

In the New Testament eklektos. It means properly an object or objects of selection.

This primary meaning sometimes passes into that of "eminent," "valuable," "choice"; often thus as a fact, in places where the King James Version uses "chosen" (or "elect") to translate the original (eg. Isa 42:1; 1Pe 2:6). In the King James Version "elect" (or "chosen") is used of Israel as the race selected for special favor and to be the special vehicle of Divine purposes (so 4 times in Apocrypha, Tobit and Ecclus); of the great Servant of Yahweh (compare Lu 23:35; the "Christ of God, his chosen"); compare eminent saints as Jacob, Moses, Rufus (Ro 16:13); "the lady," and her "sister" of 2 Jn; of the holy angels (1Ti 5:21); with a possible suggestion of the lapse of other angels. Otherwise, and prevalently in the New Testament, it denotes a human community, also described as believers, saints, the Israel of God; regarded as in some sense selected by Him from among men, objects of His special favor, and correspondingly called to special holiness and service.

See further under ELECTION. In the English versions "elect" is not used as a verb: "to choose" is preferred; eg. Mr 13:20; Eph 1:4.

Handley Dunelm

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Choose, select, cull, pick, prefer, single out, fix upon, pitch upon, pick out, make choice of. II. a. 1. Choose, selected, picked, choice. 2. Elected, appointed (but not installed in office). 3. (Theol.) Redeemed, predestinated to salvation, saved, chosen to salvation.

Moby Thesaurus

FFVs, accept, accepted, admit, adopted, ancienne noblesse, appoint, appointed, approved, aristocracy, back, back up, ballot, baronage, baronetage, best, carried, champion, chivalry, choice, choose, chosen, chosen people, clannish, cliquish, co-opt, conclude, cream, cull, decide, delivered, designate, designated, destined, determine, elected, elected by acclamation, elite, embraced, endorse, espoused, exclusive, fat, first-class, first-rate, flower, for the best, greatest, handpicked, haut monde, high life, high society, judge, knightage, like, make choice of, mark, matchless, name, named, nobility, noblesse, noblesse de robe, nominate, nominated, nonesuch, nonpareil, old nobility, opt, opt for, optimal, optimum, ordained, paragon, paramount, passed, peerage, peerless, pick, pick and choose, picked, place in office, please, prefer, prime, prize, queen, quintessence, quintessential, rare, ratified, receive, redeemed, reprobate, resolve, royalty, saved, select, selected, selective, settle, single, single out, snobbish, snobby, superlative, support, supreme, surpassing, take, the Four Hundred, the best, the best ever, the classes, the tops, the very best, unanimously elected, unmatchable, unmatched, unparalleled, unsurpassed, upper classes, upper crust, upper ten, upper ten thousand, uppercut, very best, vote, vote for, vote in, wish