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select - 6 dictionary results

se⋅lect

  [si-lekt]
Use select in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to choose in preference to another or others; pick out.
–verb (used without object)
2. to make a choice; pick.
–adjective
3. chosen in preference to another or others; selected.
4. choice; of special value or excellence.
5. careful or fastidious in selecting; discriminating.
6. carefully or fastidiously chosen; exclusive: a select group of friends.
Origin:
1555–65; < L sēlēctus (ptp. of sēligere to gather apart), equiv. to sē- se- + leg(ere) to gather, choose + -tus ptp. suffix

Related forms:
se⋅lec⋅ta⋅ble, adjective
se⋅lec⋅ta⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
se⋅lect⋅ly, adverb
se⋅lect⋅ness, noun
se⋅lec⋅tor, noun

Synonyms:
1. See choose. 3. preferred.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To select
se·lect   (sĭ-lěkt')   
v.   se·lect·ed, se·lect·ing, se·lects

v.   tr.
To take as a choice from among several; pick out.
v.   intr.
To make a choice or selection.
adj.  
  1. Singled out in preference; chosen: a select few.
  2. Of special quality or value; choice: select peaches.
  3. Of or relating to a lean grade of beef.
  4. Careful or refined in making selections; discriminating.
n.  
  1. One that is chosen in preference to others or because of special value.
  2. (used with a pl. verb) Chosen or preferred items or people considered as a group. Often used with the.

[Latin sēligere, sēlēct- : sē-, apart; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots + legere, to choose; see leg- in Indo-European roots.]
se·lec'ta·ble adj., se·lect'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Select

Se*lect"\, a. [L. selectus, p. p. of seligere to select; pref. se- aside + levere to gather. See Legend.] Taken from a number by preferance; picked out as more valuable or exellent than others; of special value or exellence; nicely chosen; selected; choice.

A few select spirits had separated from the crowd, and formed a fit audience round a far greater teacher. --Macaulay.

Select

Se*lect"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Selected; p. pr. & vb. n. Selecting.] To choose and take from a number; to take by preference from among others; to pick out; to cull; as, to select the best authors for perusal. "One peculiar nation to select." --Milton.

The pious chief . . . A hundred youths from all his train selects. --Dryden.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : select
Spanish: escoger, elegir, seleccionar,
German: auswählen,
Japanese: 選ぶ
More Translations »

select  (adj.)
1565, from L. selectus, pp. of seligere "choose out, select," from se- "apart" (see secret) + legere "to gather, select" (see lecture). The verb is attested from 1567. The noun meaning "a selected person or thing" is recorded from 1610. Selection is attested from 1646; applied to actions of breeders (first attested 1837), hence use by Darwin (1857). Selective is first recorded 1625; selective service is from 1917, Amer.Eng. New England selectman first recorded 1646.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: se·lect
Pronunciation: s&-'lekt
Function: intransitive verb
: to cause a specified gene, trait, or organism to become more frequent orless frequent—usually used with for or against select simultaneously for improved conformity to breed characteristics and against defective genescausing disease>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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