English
elector
Elector comes from Late Latin ēlēctor ‘chooser, selector’, from Latin ēligō ‘to elect’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to gather’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō‘to choose, select’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēligōas ēligere‘to elect’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEēlēctor‘chooser, selector’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500electour‘one with a right to vote in electing some office, elector’
- Englishearliest quotation 1560elector
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to gather’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō‘to choose, select’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēligōas ēligere‘to elect’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEēlēctor‘chooser, selector’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500electour‘one with a right to vote in electing some office, elector’
- Englishearliest quotation 1560elector
Earliest quotation: 1560, Thomas Cooper, [The Thirde Part of Lanquettes Chronicle]: “Whan the electours profered to make him [Ottokar II…”
Formed from elect + -or
Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’
…
Proto-Italic *legō
Latin legō ‘to pick out, pick, gather, collect, etc’
Latin ēligō ‘to pick out, choose, elect’
Latin ēlēctus ‘chosen, elected’
English elect
The story
From Middle English electour (‘one with a right to vote in electing some office, elector’), borrowed from Late Latin ēlēctor (‘chooser, selector; voter, elector’), from Latin ēligere (‘to elect’) + -tor (suffix forming masculine agent nouns), equivalent to elect + -or. Ēligere is the present active infinitive of ēligō (‘to extract, pluck or root out; (figurative) to choose, elect, pick out’), from ē- (variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’)) + legō (‘to appoint, choose, select’) (from Proto-Italic *legō (‘to gather, collect’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (‘to collect, gather’)).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’
technology, logic, apology, catalogue, trilogy, sociology, collect, analogy, terminology, physiology, pathology, logos, astrology, monologue, prologue, pathologist, epilogue, archaeologist, logistic, eulogy, leach, cosmology, etymology, lexicon, epistemology, lexical, homologous, entomology, gynecologist, etiology, lignite, lignin, apologia, alexia, bacteriology, lexis, dialectical, dialectic, syllogism, bacteriologist, 153 more
through Proto-Italic *legō
intelligence, intelligent, intellectual, legionnaire, legionella, legionary, 19 more
through Latin legō ‘to choose, select’
college, collection, lesson, legend, legacy, selection, collective, colleague, coil, negligence, legion, delegation, select, elegant, lecture, delegate, negligent, collegiate, diligent, negligible, collector, ineligible, cull, legible, legation, legate, collegium, lectern, 25 more
through Latin ēligō ‘to elect’
Today it means
noun A person eligible to vote in an election; a member of an electorate, a voter.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- / elector