Etymograph

English

adlect

Adlect comes from Latin adlegō, from allegō ‘to select, choose, recruit, or elect’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-1‘to gather’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵeti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō2‘read, choose’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEallegō3‘to select, choose, recruit, or elect’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEadlegō3alternative spelling of allegō
  7. Englishtodayadlect3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin lego
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin allego
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English adlect

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-Wiktionary, Latin lego‘to gather’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵetiWiktionary, Latin legoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legōWiktionary, Latin legoreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegōWiktionary, Latin allego‘read, choose’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEallegōWiktionary, English adlect‘to select, choose, recruit, or elect’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEadlegōWiktionary, English adlectalternative spelling of allegō
  7. EnglishtodayadlectWiktionary, English adlect

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’

technology, logic, apology, catalogue, trilogy, sociology, collect, analogy, terminology, physiology, pathology, logos, astrology, monologue, prologue, pathologist, epilogue, archaeologist, logistic, eulogy, leach, cosmology, etymology, epistemology, lexicon, entomology, homologous, lexical, gynecologist, etiology, lignite, lignin, apologia, alexia, bacteriology, lexis, dialectical, dialectic, syllogism, bacteriologist, 148 more

through Proto-Italic *legō

intelligence, intelligent, selection, intellectual, ineligible, elector, legionella, legionnaire, legionary, 15 more

through Latin legō ‘read, choose’

college, election, collection, elite, lesson, legend, legacy, eligible, colleague, collective, delegation, elegant, coil, select, negligence, legion, delegate, lecture, collector, negligent, collegiate, elect, diligent, negligible, cull, legible, legation, legate, collegium, ineligibility, lectern, lector, 23 more

Today it means

verb To choose or elect, especially to promote someone to higher office before they have served in a lower capacity.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “adlect”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin lego, Latin allego. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- / adlect

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