English
eligible
Eligible comes from Middle French eligible ‘choosable’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-1‘to gather’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legō1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō2‘to choose, select’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēligō3‘to select, to choose’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEeligibilis3
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600eligible3‘choosable’
- Englishearliest quotation 2007eligible3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin lego
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin eligo
- 3 Wiktionary, English eligible
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Diane Ravitch, Get Congress Out of the Classroom: “Federal agencies report that only about 1 percent of…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-Wiktionary, Latin lego‘to gather’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵetiWiktionary, Latin legoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legōWiktionary, Latin legoreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegōWiktionary, Latin eligo‘to choose, select’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēligōWiktionary, English eligible‘to select, to choose’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEeligibilisWiktionary, English eligible
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600eligibleWiktionary, English eligible‘choosable’
- Englishearliest quotation 2007eligibleWiktionary, English eligible. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Diane Ravitch, Get Congress Out of the Classroom: “Federal agencies report that only about 1 percent of…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’
technology, collect, logic, apology, catalogue, trilogy, sociology, analogy, terminology, physiology, pathology, logos, astrology, monologue, prologue, epilogue, leach, eulogy, pathologist, archaeologist, cosmology, etymology, logistic, lexicon, epistemology, entomology, lexical, homologous, gynecologist, etiology, dialectical, dialectic, bacteriology, alexia, lexis, apologia, lignite, lignin, bacteriologist, syllogism, 150 more
through Proto-Italic *legō
intelligence, intellectual, intelligent, legionnaire, legionella, legionary, 17 more
through Latin legō ‘to choose, select’
college, collection, selection, lesson, legend, legacy, collective, select, lecture, colleague, collector, coil, delegation, elegant, legion, delegate, negligence, collegiate, negligent, cull, diligent, elector, negligible, legation, legate, lectern, legible, collegium, lector, 22 more
through Latin ēligō ‘to select, to choose’
election, elite, elect, 7 more
through Latin eligibilis
Today it means
adj Allowed to and meeting the necessary conditions required to participate in or be chosen for something.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “eligible”; 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- / eligible