Eligibility
/ˌɛl.ɪ.dʒəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/noun
The state of being qualified or entitled to do or receive something.
Did you know?Eligibility ultimately comes from Latin *eligere*, “to pick out” or “choose,” the same ancient root that gave English *elect* and *eclectic*—so the word carries the quiet energy of selection and destiny.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leg-
“to gather, collect, choose”
Latin
Latin
eligere
“to choose out, select”
Latin
Latin
eligibilis
“fit to be chosen, eligible”
Old French
Old French
eligible
“fit to be chosen or elected”
Middle English
English
eligibilite
“the quality of being eligible”
Modern English
English
eligibility
“the state of being qualified or entitled to be chosen or receive something”