Selectively

How to spell selectively

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce selectively

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does selectively mean?

1. adverbIn a way that involves choosing carefully from a larger group, rather than indiscriminately.

Selectively in a sentence

• The editor selectively trimmed the report, keeping only the strongest paragraphs.

• The museum selectively lends pieces from its collection to trusted partners.

Where does selectively come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin verb legere, which literally meant 'to gather' or 'to pick out', and its compound seligere, formed with se- meaning 'apart', so the whole sense was 'to choose by setting apart'. The past participle of that verb, selectus, meaning 'chosen', gave English the adjective 'select' in the sixteenth century. From 'select' came 'selective', describing a tendency to choose carefully, and finally the adverb 'selectively' by adding the standard -ly ending. The same legere root is hiding in a surprising family of English words, including 'collect', 'elect', and even 'lecture', all of which involve gathering or choosing. The spelling trap sits in the unstressed middle: the -tive becomes a faint schwa before -ly, so writers must remember the full chain select + ive + ly.

How the word is built

• se- (apart)
• lect (from legere: to choose, gather)
• -ive (adjective)
• -ly (adverb suffix)