ē-lĭgo — Lewis & Short
ē-lĭgo, lēgi, lectum, 3, v. a.lĕgo,
I to pick out, choose, elect (class.; esp. in the trop. sense; cf.:
coöpto, designo, deligo, seligo): pedes e capite et e collo pullorum,Varr. R. R. 3, 9, 14:
uvam ad edendum (with legere),id. ib. 1, 54, 2:
herbas,to pluck up, to weed out, id. ib. 1, 47; Col. 4, 5; cf.
trop.,Cic. Tusc. 3, 34, 83 and 84:
ex malis minima,Cic. Off. 3, 1, 3: ut de tribus Antoniis eligas quem velis, id. Phil. 10, 2, 5:
a multis commodissimum quodque,id. Inv. 2, 2, 5:
ut in comparando difficile ad eligendum sit, quid maxime velis,id. Rep. 1, 35 fin. et saep.—Absol., to choose correctly, make a proper selection: haud semper errat fama;
aliquando et elegit,Tac. Agr. 9 fin.—Hence, ēlectus, a, um, P. a.
I In gen., picked, selected; select, choice, excellent:
par columbarum,Petr. 85, 6:
viri electissimi civitatis,Cic. Quint. 2:
pugiles,Suet. Calig. 18:
quisque,id. ib. 49:
electissima verba,Cic. Fin. 3, 7 fin. Madv. N. cr.; Auct. Her. 4, 26, 36; cf.:
electius verbum,id. ib.;
scripta,Cat. 36, 6:
res,Petr. 36, 4 et saep.—In the neutr. subst.: ēlecta, ōrum, selections, Plin. Ep. 3, 5, 17.—Adv.: ēlecte choicely, Cic. Inv. 1, 30, 49.—Comp., Gell. 18, 7, 2.—
II In eccl. Lat., chosen of God, elected to be saved, Vulg. Col. 3, 12 et saep.