English
ineligible
Ineligible comes from French inéligible ‘unelectable’, from Late Latin ēligibilis ‘eligible’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning…’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-1‘to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to speak by carefully selecting one's words’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legō1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō1‘to collect, gather, bring together, catch’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēligō1‘select, choose’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEēligibilis2‘eligible’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentéligible3
- Frenchc. 1600–presentinéligible4‘unelectable’
- Englishearliest quotation 2002ineligible4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin eligibilis
- 2 Wiktionary, French éligible
- 3 Wiktionary, French inéligible
- 4 Wiktionary, English ineligible
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2002, Martin Feldstein, A. J. Auerbach: “However, migration of workers from the ineligible population into…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-Wiktionary, Latin eligibilis‘to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to speak by carefully selecting one's words’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵetiWiktionary, Latin eligibilisreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legōWiktionary, Latin eligibilisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegōWiktionary, Latin eligibilis‘to collect, gather, bring together, catch’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēligōWiktionary, Latin eligibilis‘select, choose’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEēligibilisWiktionary, French éligible‘eligible’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentéligibleWiktionary, French inéligible
- Frenchc. 1600–presentinéligibleWiktionary, English ineligible‘unelectable’
- Englishearliest quotation 2002ineligibleWiktionary, English ineligible. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2002, Martin Feldstein, A. J. Auerbach: “However, migration of workers from the ineligible population into…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning…’
technology, collect, logic, apology, catalogue, trilogy, sociology, analogy, physiology, pathology, terminology, logos, astrology, monologue, prologue, epilogue, leach, pathologist, eulogy, archaeologist, cosmology, logistic, lexicon, etymology, epistemology, lexical, entomology, homologous, etiology, dialectic, gynecologist, bacteriology, alexia, lexis, apologia, lignite, bacteriologist, syllogism, lignin, 152 more
through Proto-Italic *legō
intelligence, intellectual, intelligent, legionnaire, legionary, legionella, 18 more
through Latin legō ‘to collect, gather, bring together, catch’
college, collection, selection, lesson, legend, legacy, collective, select, lecture, colleague, collector, coil, delegation, elegant, legion, delegate, negligence, collegiate, cull, diligent, negligent, elector, negligible, legation, legate, lectern, legible, collegium, lector, 23 more
through Latin ēligō ‘select, choose’
Today it means
adj Not eligible; forbidden to do something.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “ineligible”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin eligibilis, French éligible, French inéligible. 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- / ineligible