English
elite
Elite comes from Middle English elit, from Old French eslit ‘chosen’, past participle of eslire, from Latin ēligō ‘to choose’ (participle ēlēctus).
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēligōas eligere‘to choose’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēlēctus‘chosen’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*exlectusuncertain
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400eslit‘chosen, elected’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500elit
- Englishearliest quotation 1964elite
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēligōas eligere‘to choose’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEēlēctus‘chosen’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*exlectusuncertain
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400eslit‘chosen, elected’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500elit
- Englishearliest quotation 1964elite
Earliest quotation: 1964, France's Culture Corps: “Is there a nobler or more disinterested aim than…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’
technology, collect, logic, apology, catalogue, trilogy, sociology, analogy, physiology, pathology, logos, terminology, astrology, monologue, leach, prologue, pathologist, epilogue, archaeologist, logistic, lexicon, eulogy, cosmology, lexical, etymology, entomology, gynecologist, homologous, epistemology, dialectic, etiology, alexia, lexis, apologia, bacteriology, lignin, syllogism, bacteriologist, lignite, 152 more
through Proto-Italic *legō
intelligence, intellectual, intelligent, legionnaire, legionella, legionary, 17 more
through Latin legō ‘to choose, select’
college, collection, lesson, legend, selection, legacy, collective, select, lecture, colleague, collector, legion, delegation, coil, elegant, negligence, delegate, collegiate, negligible, negligent, diligent, cull, ineligible, legible, elector, legation, collegium, legate, lectern, lector, 22 more
through Latin ēligō ‘to choose, elect’
Today it means
adj Of high birth or social position; aristocratic or patrician.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin ēligō / elite