Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act or process of electing someone to fill an office or position.
  • noun An instance of this.
  • noun The fact of being elected.
  • noun An act of choosing; a selection.
  • noun Predestined salvation, especially as conceived by Calvinists.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A deliberate act of choice; particularly, a choice of means for accomplishing a given end.
  • noun The choice of a person or persons for office of any kind by the voting of a body of qualified or authorized electors.
  • noun The act or process of choosing a person or persons for office by vote; a polling for office; also, the occasion or set time and provision for making such choice: as, a general or a special election; American elections are generally held in autumn.
  • noun Hence By extension, a public vote upon a proposition submitted; a poll for the decision by vote of any public matter or question: as, to hold an election on a new constitution, or on a measure referred by the legislature to the people. [U.S.]
  • noun Discernment; discrimination; distinction.
  • noun In theology: The choice by God of particular individuals either to be the recipients of his grace and of eternal life, or to be commissioned for a particular work.
  • noun Those who are elected by God to eternal life.
  • noun In astrology, a reason for choosing one time rather than another for an undertaking; a preference of times. See root, n.
  • noun In mathematics, a part or the whole of a number of distinguishable objects.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of choosing; choice; selection.
  • noun The act of choosing a person to fill an office, or to membership in a society, as by ballot, uplifted hands, or viva voce.
  • noun Power of choosing; free will; liberty to choose or act.
  • noun obsolete Discriminating choice; discernment.
  • noun (Theol.) Divine choice; predestination of individuals as objects of mercy and salvation; -- one of the “five points” of Calvinism.
  • noun (Law) The choice, made by a party, of two alternatives, by taking one of which, the chooser is excluded from the other.
  • noun obsolete Those who are elected.
  • noun See under Contest.
  • noun to choose.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A process of choosing a leader, members of parliament, councillors, or other representatives by popular vote.
  • noun The choice of a leader or representative by popular vote.
  • noun archaic Any conscious choice.
  • noun theology In Calvinism, God's predestination of saints including all of the elect.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the status or fact of being elected
  • noun a vote to select the winner of a position or political office
  • noun the predestination of some individuals as objects of divine mercy (especially as conceived by Calvinists)
  • noun the act of selecting someone or something; the exercise of deliberate choice

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Anglo-Norman eleccioun, from Latin election-, stem of electio ("choice, selection"), from ēligō ("I pluck out, I choose").

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Examples

  • Action Alert: Feinstein 'election reform' bill hearings next week! yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = 'Action Alert: Feinstein \'election reform\' bill hearings next week! '

    Action Alert: Feinstein 'election reform' bill hearings next week! 2007

  • The cause alleged for this unmanly, base, cowardly outrage, is some expressions which occurred in an election squib, printed at this office, and extensively circulated through the county, _before the election_.

    The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 3 of 4 American Anti-Slavery Society

  • The cause alleged for this unmanly, base, cowardly outrage, is some expressions which occurred in an election squib, printed at this office, and extensively circulated through the county, _before the election_.

    The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Omnibus American Anti-Slavery Society

  • Lady Glistonbury listened, and tried, and seemed to understand -- bowed to Mr. Vivian and smiled, and said she remembered he was often at Glistonbury during the last election -- that she was happy to hear she should have the pleasure to see Lady Mary Vivian -- that some people disliked _election times_, but for her part she did not, when she was strong.

    Tales and Novels — Volume 05 Maria Edgeworth 1808

  • With the growth of the cult of personality and a recognition of the value of social media and change-orientated soundbites, the UK general election is increasingly resembling that of the 2008 US presidential ­election.

    The Lawyer - Latest News 2010

  • With the growth of the cult of personality and a recognition of the value of social media and change-orientated soundbites, the UK general election is increasingly resembling that of the 2008 US presidential ­election.

    The Lawyer - Latest News 2010

  • With the growth of the cult of personality and a recognition of the value of social media and change-orientated soundbites, the UK general election is increasingly resembling that of the 2008 US presidential ­election.

    The Lawyer - Latest News 2010

  • With the growth of the cult of personality and a recognition of the value of social media and change-orientated soundbites, the UK general election is increasingly resembling that of the 2008 US presidential ­election.

    The Lawyer - Latest News 2010

  • With the growth of the cult of personality and a recognition of the value of social media and change-orientated soundbites, the UK general election is increasingly resembling that of the 2008 US presidential ­election.

    The Lawyer - Latest News 2010

  • With the growth of the cult of personality and a recognition of the value of social media and change-orientated soundbites, the UK general election is increasingly resembling that of the 2008 US presidential ­election.

    The Lawyer - Latest News 2010

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