Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
Selection - 5 dictionary results

se⋅lec⋅tion

  [si-lek-shuhn]
Use Selection in a Sentence
–noun
1. an act or instance of selecting or the state of being selected; choice.
2. a thing or a number of things selected.
3. an aggregate of things displayed for choice, purchase, use, etc.; a group from which a choice may be made: The store had a wide selection of bracelets.
4. Biology. any natural or artificial process that results in differential reproduction among the members of a population so that the inheritable traits of only certain individuals are passed on, or are passed on in greater proportion, to succeeding generations. Compare natural selection, sexual selection, kin selection, artificial selection.
5. Linguistics.
a. the choice of one form instead of another in a position where either can occur, as of ask instead of tell or with in the phrase ask me.
b. the choice of one semantic or syntactic class of words in a construction, to the exclusion of others that do not occur there, as the choice of an animate object for the verb surprise.
Origin:
1640–50; < L sēlēctiōn- (s. of sēlēctiō), equiv. to sēlēct(us) (see select ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms:
se⋅lec⋅tion⋅al, adjective

Synonyms:
2. collection, gathering, pick.

Antonyms:
1. rejection.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Selection
se·lec·tion   (sĭ-lěk'shən)   
n.  
    1. The act or an instance of selecting or the fact of having been selected.
    2. One that is selected.
  2. A carefully chosen or representative collection of people or things. See Synonyms at choice.
  3. A literary or musical text chosen for reading or performance.
  4. Biology A natural or artificial process that favors or induces survival and perpetuation of one kind of organism over others that die or fail to produce offspring.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Selection

Se*lec"tion\, n. [L. selectio: cf. F. s['e]lection.] . The act of selecting, or the state of being selected; choice, by preference.

2. That which is selected; a collection of things chosen; as, a choice selection of books.

Natural selection. (Biol.) See under Natural.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : Selection
Spanish: elección,
German: die Wahl, Wahl-…,
Japanese: 選抜
More Translations »

Main Entry: se·lec·tion
Pronunciation: s&-'lek-sh&n
Function: noun
: a natural or artificial process that results or tends to result inthe survival and propagation of some individuals or organisms but not of others with the result that the inherited traits of the survivors are perpetuated —compare DARWINISM, NATURAL SELECTION
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

selection se·lec·tion (sĭ-lěk'shən)
n.
A natural or artificial process that favors or induces survival and perpetuation of one kind of organism over others that die or fail to produce offspring.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see Selection on Thesaurus | Reference