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Webster 1913 Edition

Eligible

El′i-gi-ble

,
Adj.
[F.
éligible
, fr. L.
eligere
. See
Elect
.]
1.
That may be selected; proper or qualified to be chosen; legally qualified to be elected and to hold office.
2.
Worthy to be chosen or selected; suitable; desirable;
as, an
eligible
situation for a house
.
The more
eligible
of the two evils.
Burke.

Webster 1828 Edition

Eligible

EL'IGIBLE

,
Adj.
[L. eligo, to choose or select; e and lego.]
1.
Fit to be chosen; worthy of choice, preferable.
In deep distress, certainty is more eligible than suspense.
2.
Suitable; proper; desirable; as, the house stands in an eligible situation.
3.
Legally qualified to be chosen; as, a man is or is not eligible to an office.

Definition 2024

eligible

eligible

See also: éligible

English

Adjective

eligible ‎(comparative more eligible, superlative most eligible)

  1. allowed to and meeting the necessary conditions required to participate in or be chosen for something
  2. worthy of being chosen (for marriage)

Usage notes

Used in the phrase eligible bachelor to mean “desirable male”, the corresponding term for a woman is nubile.

Related terms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

Noun

eligible ‎(plural eligibles)

  1. One who is eligible.
    • 2007 October 3, Diane Ravitch, “Get Congress Out of the Classroom”, in New York Times:
      Federal agencies report that only about 1 percent of eligible students take advantage of switching schools and fewer than 20 percent of eligibles receive extra tutoring.

Translations

Middle French

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin eligibilis.

Adjective

eligible m, f ‎(plural eligibles)

  1. choosable; selectable (that one can choose)

References

  • (fr) Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (eligible, supplement)

Etymology

From Middle French eligible, from Latin eligibilis, from ēligō ‎(“select, choose”)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɛlɪdʒəb(ə)l/

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