Election

How to spell election

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce election

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does election mean?

1. nounA formal process in which people vote to choose a person or people for an official position.

Election in a sentence

• The general election will be held in the spring.

• Voter turnout for the local election was unusually high.

Where does election come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb eligere, meaning 'to pick out' or 'to choose', formed from ex- 'out' and legere 'to gather, pick, read'. From its past participle electus came the noun electio, meaning 'a choosing' or 'a selection'. English took the word in the 1200s and 1300s through Old French eleccion, at first for any act of choosing and soon specifically for choosing someone for an office or position. The same legere root sits inside relatives such as 'select', 'collect', and 'lecture', all of which involve gathering or picking. The spelling keeps the Latin -ct- of electus softened to the familiar -ction sound, which is the part writers occasionally fumble.

How the word is built

• e- (from ex-: out)
• lect (from legere: to choose, pick)
• -ion (noun of action)