Elected

How to spell elected

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce elected

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does elected mean?

1. verbChose someone for a position or office by voting.
2. adjectiveHolding a position as a result of being voted into office.

Elected in a sentence

• verb

  The members elected a new treasurer at the annual meeting.

• adjective

  Every elected official must declare their financial interests.

• verb

  Voters across the county elected her by a wide margin.

• adjective

  The city relies on elected representatives to set local policy.

Where does elected come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb eligere, meaning 'to pick out' or 'to choose', which was formed from ex-, meaning 'out', and legere, meaning 'to gather, pick, or choose'. The past participle of that verb was electus, literally 'chosen out', and it is from this form that the English word descends. English took it up in the late Middle Ages, partly through Old French, and by the 1400s 'elect' was being used for choosing a person for an office or rank. The same legere root quietly powers a whole family of relatives, including 'select', 'collect', and 'elegant'. Remembering that the middle is 'lect', the choosing part, helps fix the spelling, since the word is simply that root with a past-tense ending added.

How the word is built

• e- (variant of ex-: out)
• lect (from legere: to choose, gather)
• -ed (past tense/participle suffix)