Meanings
nounelect (plural elects or elect)
plural elects
- One chosen or set apart.
- lifestyleIn Calvinist theology, one foreordained to Heaven. In other Christian theologies, someone chosen by God for salvation.
Shall not God avenge his won elect?
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 18:71 more example
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 42:1
verbelect (third-person singular simple present elects, present participle electing, simple past and past participle elected)
present singular third person elects · participle present electing · participle past elected · past elected
- transitive(Of a group) to officially select one or more candidates in an election to hold office.
President Obama in a speech this past week said that we should solve the nation's bee problem. Oh, God, we elected a guy who sympathizes with bees?
2014, Norm Macdonald Live, season 2, episode 9, spoken by Norm Macdonald
adjectiveelect (not comparable)
- not comparablepostpositionalWho has been elected in a specified post, but has not yet entered office.
He is the President elect.
1 more example
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.
1811, Jane Austen, chapter 16, in Sense and Sensibility - not comparableChosen; taken by preference from among two or more.
the elect angels
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Timothy 5:211 more example
colours quaint elect
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
adjectiveelected but not yet installed in office
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinēlēctus
- Englishelect
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).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀρχαιρεσίαζω, αἱρέομαι
- ἀρχαιρεσίαζω (arkhairesíazō)to choose in election
- αἱρέομαι (hairéomai)to choose in election
- χειροτονέω (kheirotonéō)to choose in election
- προχειρίζομαι (prokheirízomai)to choose in election
Arabic اِنْتَخَبَ
- اِنْتَخَبَ (intaḵaba)to choose in election
Bulgarian избраник, решавам, спирам се на
- избраник (izbranik)One chosen or set apart
- решавам, спирам се на (rešavam, spiram se na)to choose or make decision
- избирам (izbiram)to choose in election
- избран (izbran)who has been elected
Catalan elegir
- elegirto choose in election
Chinese Cantonese 選 /选
- 選 /选 (syun²)to choose in election
Chinese Mandarin 选民, 選擇 /选择
- 选民 (xuǎnmín)One chosen by God
- 選擇 /选择 (xuǎnzé)to choose or make decision
- 選舉 /选举 (xuǎnjǔ)to choose in election
Czech volit
- volitto choose in election
Danish vælge, vælge
- vælgeto choose or make decision
- vælgeto choose in election
- valgtwho has been elected
- udvalgtwho has been elected
Dutch kiezen, uitkiezen
- kiezento choose or make decision
- uitkiezento choose or make decision
- verkiezento choose in election
Esperanto elekti, elekti
- elektito choose or make decision
- elektito choose in election
Finnish valita, päättää
- valitato choose or make decision
- päättääto choose or make decision
- valitato choose in election
- vastavalittuwho has been elected
- tulevawho has been elected
French élu, élue
- éluOne chosen or set apart
- élueOne chosen or set apart
- éluOne chosen by God
- élueOne chosen by God
- choisirto choose or make decision
- déciderto choose or make decision
- élireto choose in election
- éluwho has been elected
German entscheiden, wählen
- entscheidento choose or make decision
- wählento choose or make decision
- wählento choose in election
- gewähltwho has been elected
Greek εκλεκτός, εκλεκτή
- εκλεκτός (eklektós)One chosen or set apart
- εκλεκτή (eklektí)One chosen or set apart
- διαλέγω (dialégo)to choose or make decision
- εκλέγω (eklégo)to choose in election
- εκλεγμένος (eklegménos)who has been elected
Hebrew נבחר, נבחר
- נבחרOne chosen or set apart
- נבחרOne chosen by God
Hungarian választ
- választto choose in election
Irish togh
- toghto choose in election
Italian eleggere
- eleggereto choose in election
Japanese 選ぶ, 選挙する
- 選ぶ (erabu)to choose or make decision
- 選挙する (senkyo suru)to choose in election
Korean 선거하다
- 선거하다 (seon'geohada)to choose in election
Latin ēligō, dīligō
- ēligōto choose in election
- dīligōto choose in election
- legōto choose in election
Māori pōti
- pōtito choose in election
Norwegian valgt
- valgtwho has been elected
Norwegian Bokmål valgt
- valgtwho has been elected
Polish postanowić, wybierać
- postanowićto choose or make decision
- wybieraćto choose in election
Portuguese eleger, eleger
- elegerto choose or make decision
- elegerto choose in election
- eleitowho has been elected
Romanian alege, hotărî
- alegeto choose or make decision
- hotărîto choose or make decision
- alegeto choose in election
Russian выбира́ть, вы́брать
- выбира́ть (vybirátʹ)to choose or make decision
- вы́брать (výbratʹ)to choose or make decision
- выбира́ть (vybirátʹ)to choose in election
- вы́брать (výbratʹ)to choose in election
- избира́ть (izbirátʹ)to choose in election
- избра́ть (izbrátʹ)to choose in election
- и́збранный (ízbrannyj)who has been elected
Scottish Gaelic tagh, tagh
- taghto choose or make decision
- taghto choose in election
Spanish elegir, esleer
- elegirto choose or make decision
- esleerto choose or make decision
- esleírto choose or make decision
- eligirto choose or make decision
- elegirto choose in election
- esleerto choose in election
- esleírto choose in election
- eligirto choose in election
- electowho has been elected
Swahili uteuzi
- uteuziwho has been elected
Swedish välja, välja
- väljato choose or make decision
- väljato choose in election
- valdwho has been elected
Thai เลือกตั้ง
- เลือกตั้ง (lʉ̂ʉak-dtâng)to choose in election
Turkish seçmek, saylamak
- seçmekto choose or make decision
- saylamakto choose or make decision
- seçmekto choose in election
- saylamakto choose in election
Ukrainian обира́ти, обра́ти
- обира́ти (obyráty)to choose in election
- обра́ти (obráty)to choose in election
- вибира́ти (vybyráty)to choose in election
- ви́брати (výbraty)to choose in election
Vietnamese bầu, tuyển cử
- bầuto choose in election
- tuyển cửto choose in election
- bầu cửto choose in election
- tân cửwho has been elected
Yiddish אױסגעקליבן
- אױסגעקליבן (oysgeklibn)who has been elected
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with elect
subjectprojectselectdirecteffectobjectperfectrespectconnectcorrectprotectexpectaffectreflectcollectcheckedsuspectdetectincorrectindirectprospectdefectneglectredirect
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
elect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elect
MLA
“elect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elect. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “elect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elect.
Source: elect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.