Etymograph

English

election

Election comes from Anglo-Norman eleccioun, from Latin ēlectiō ‘choice’, from ēligō ‘to choose’, 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‘to choose’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēligō3‘to pluck out, to choose’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēlectiō3‘choice, selection’
  7. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400eleccioun3
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eleccioun3
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1603election3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin lego
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin eligo
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English election
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “Whosoever searcheth all the circumstances and embraceth all the…”.

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 eligo‘to choose’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēligōWiktionary, English election‘to pluck out, to choose’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēlectiōWiktionary, English election‘choice, selection’
  7. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400elecciounWiktionary, English election
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500elecciounWiktionary, English election
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1603electionWiktionary, English election. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “Whosoever searcheth all the circumstances and embraceth all the…”

Linked words

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

technology, logic, apology, catalogue, trilogy, collect, analogy, terminology, sociology, pathology, logos, physiology, astrology, prologue, pathologist, epilogue, archaeologist, monologue, leach, eulogy, cosmology, etymology, logistic, epistemology, entomology, lexical, homologous, lexicon, gynecologist, lignite, lignin, apologia, alexia, etiology, lexis, syllogism, bacteriology, dialectical, dialectic, bacteriologist, 152 more

through Proto-Italic *legō

intelligence, intelligent, intellectual, legionnaire, legionella, legionary, 19 more

through Latin legō ‘to choose, select’

college, legend, legacy, lesson, collection, colleague, coil, collective, select, negligence, lecture, elegant, collector, delegate, negligent, collegiate, legion, negligible, diligent, delegation, ineligible, cull, legible, legate, collegium, legation, lectern, lector, 24 more

through Latin ēligō ‘to pluck out, to choose’

elite, eligible, ineligibility, 8 more

Today it means

noun A process of choosing a leader, members of parliament, councillors, or other representatives by popular vote.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “election”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin lego, Latin eligo. 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- / election

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