Elective
/ɪˈlɛk.tɪv/noun
Chosen by preference or by vote, rather than required or inherited.
Did you know?Elective ultimately traces back to Latin *eligere*, “to pick out” or “choose,” from *e-* (“out”) + *legere* (“to gather, select”); that same root *legere* also gave English words like *intelligence* and *lectern*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leg-
“to gather, collect, pick out”
Latin
Latin
eligere
“to choose, pick out”
Latin
Latin
electivus
“pertaining to choosing; optional”
Old French
Old French
electif
“capable of being chosen; elective”
Middle English
English
electif
“optional, chosen”
Modern English
English
elective
“chosen by preference or vote, not compulsory”