select

[si-lekt] /sɪˈlɛkt/
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.
Synonyms: preferred.
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; < Latin sēlēctus (past participle of sēligere to gather apart), equivalent to sē- se- + leg(ere) to gather, choose + -tus past participle suffix
Related forms
selectable, adjective
selectability, noun
selectly, adverb
selectness, noun
selector, noun
nonselected, adjective
reselect, verb (used with object)
unselect, adjective
unselected, adjective
well-selected, adjective
Synonym Study
1. See choose.
Examples from the web for select
  • If your next move was going to be to archive those messages, perhaps in a folder, then you'll have to select them again.
  • Each year our economics editor conducts an informal poll of a select group who meet for drinks after dinner.
  • Similarly, evolution did not select for national patriotism.
  • Each year, she edits thousands of images to select the visuals that illustrate the magazine.
  • Once you have a list of your history, select individual domains, or even pages to selectively delete them.
  • However, it did select for altruism and that trait gave rise to patriotism.
  • select the fish with your nose: it should smell ocean-fresh or be odorless.
  • Kids can choose to hear the story read aloud, play activities on select pages, and replay animations with a simple tap.
  • Her task was to select each numeral in the correct order.
  • The panels that select the recipients of the highest accolades in science have made their decisions.
British Dictionary definitions for select

select

/sɪˈlɛkt/
verb
1.
to choose (someone or something) in preference to another or others
adjective
2.
Also selected. chosen in preference to another or others
3.
of particular quality or excellence
4.
limited as to membership or entry: a select gathering
5.
careful in making a choice
Derived Forms
selectly, adverb
selectness, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Latin sēligere to sort, from sē- apart + legere to choose
Word Origin and History for select
adj.

1560s, from Latin selectus, past participle of seligere "choose out, single out, select; separate, cull," from se- "apart" (see secret (n.)) + legere "to gather, select" (see lecture (n.)). The noun meaning "a selected person or thing, that which is choice" is recorded from c.1600. New England selectman first recorded 1640s.

v.

1560s, from select (adj.) or from Latin selectus. Related: Selected; selecting.