Elect in Different Languages
Discover 'Elect' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'elect' carries significant weight in English, indicating selection or choice, as well as the process of voting and being chosen for political office. Its cultural importance is evident in democratic societies worldwide, where the electoral process is a cornerstone of governance and representation.
Understanding the translation of 'elect' in different languages can provide valuable insights into cultural nuances and regional distinctions. For instance, in Spanish, 'elect' is 'elegir', while in German, it's 'wählen'. In French, the word for 'elect' is 'élire', and in Japanese, it's '選ぶ' (erabu).
Moreover, the word 'elect' has fascinating historical contexts. In the Christian Bible, the term 'elect' refers to those chosen by God for salvation. In ancient Rome, the 'comitia' was the electoral assembly where citizens would vote for political representatives.
By learning the translation of 'elect' in different languages, you can deepen your appreciation for cultural diversity and the rich history of democratic institutions. Keep reading to discover more translations of this important word.
Elect
Elect in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | verkies | ||
| "Verkies" is derived from Middle Dutch "verkiesen" and Old High German "wirkiosan", meaning "to choose" or "to bring to life". | |||
| Amharic | መርጧል | ||
| The Amharic word መርጧል comes from the root word መረጥ (merat), which means 'to choose' or 'to select'. | |||
| Hausa | zaɓa | ||
| Hausa "zaɓa" originally meant "to choose between alternatives" or "to take (one thing) from others". | |||
| Igbo | hoputara | ||
| The verb “ho”pṣtara” (elect) is derived from the noun “ho”pṣta” (choice, elect). | |||
| Malagasy | olom-boafidy | ||
| The word "olom-boafidy" in Malagasy has no direct equivalent in English and is a combination of two words meaning "person" and "chosen". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | sankhani | ||
| The name "Sankhani" is also given to an ancient god of thunder in Chichewa mythology. | |||
| Shona | vakasarudzwa | ||
| Somali | dooran | ||
| The word 'dooran' in Somali can also mean 'vote' or 'election', reflecting its connection to the process of choosing leaders. | |||
| Sesotho | kgetho | ||
| The word ‘kgetha` refers to the act of selecting and appointing. | |||
| Swahili | wateule | ||
| The Swahili word "wateule" can also mean "chosen" or "selected". | |||
| Xhosa | nyula | ||
| Nyula (Xhosa for ‘elect’) shares a root with ‘nyukel' – to point or designate something. | |||
| Yoruba | yan | ||
| The Yorùbá word 'yan' also means 'to choose' or 'to select' and is related to the word 'yànà' meaning 'choice' or 'selection'. | |||
| Zulu | abakhethiwe | ||
| The word 'abakhethiwe' originates from the Zulu word 'ukukhetha', meaning 'to choose' or 'to select'. | |||
| Bambara | sugandilenw | ||
| Ewe | ame tiatiawo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gutora | ||
| Lingala | baponami | ||
| Luganda | alondeddwa | ||
| Sepedi | kgetha | ||
| Twi (Akan) | paw wɔn | ||
Elect in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | انتخب | ||
| The Arabic word "انتخب" also means "to select" or "to choose". | |||
| Hebrew | לבחור | ||
| The verb לבחור (elect) also means 'to decide' or 'to choose'. | |||
| Pashto | انتخاب | ||
| انتخاب also means "to get a choice" or "to get an option" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | انتخب | ||
| The Arabic word "انتخب" also means "to select" or "to choose". | |||
Elect in Western European Languages
| Albanian | zgjedhin | ||
| The word for "elect" in Albanian comes from the Latin "elegere", meaning "to choose." | |||
| Basque | aukeratu | ||
| The word "aukeratu" in Basque also means "to choose" or "to select". | |||
| Catalan | elegir | ||
| The noun "elegir" (choice) and the verb "elegir" (to choose) come from the Latin root *eligere*. "Elegir" also exists in Castilian (Spanish) with a slightly different meaning than "choose": it is a parliamentary procedure by which one or several persons or entities are designated for a public post through voting, a process very close to what is meant by *cooptation*: a body chooses the people that join the body itself in a self-appointment procedure that doesn't need to involve any kind of popular consultation, unlike with elections which require a popular vote by electorate citizens or other voters. | |||
| Croatian | izabrati | ||
| Its root is the Old Church Slavonic verb `izabrati` meaning `to take out` or `to choose`. | |||
| Danish | vælge | ||
| The Danish word "vælge" derives from the Proto-Germanic root *walijaną, "to choose". | |||
| Dutch | kiezen | ||
| The word "kiezen" is derived from the Middle Dutch verb "kiesen," which meant "to choose or select." | |||
| English | elect | ||
| The word | |||
| French | élire | ||
| While the word "élire" means "elect" in French, it originally meant "to choose" and is a derivative of the Latin "eligere" with the same meaning. | |||
| Frisian | útkieze | ||
| The word "útkieze" is closely related to the West Frisian word "útkear" and the Dutch word "uitverkoren", meaning "chosen". | |||
| Galician | elixir | ||
| In Galician, "elixir" also means "to choose" or "to select". | |||
| German | wählen | ||
| "Wählen" is also used in German to describe the choosing of a partner in a card game, the act of picking something, or the decision-making in a parliamentary vote. | |||
| Icelandic | kjósa | ||
| The Icelandic word "kjósa" is derived from the Old Norse word "kjósa", meaning "to choose" or "to wish." | |||
| Irish | toghadh | ||
| The Irish word "toghadh" is derived from the Proto-Celtic verb *to-ag- and cognate with Welsh "dewis" and Breton "dibab", all meaning "choice" or "selection." | |||
| Italian | eleggere | ||
| The Italian verb "eleggere" also means "to choose" or "to delegate". | |||
| Luxembourgish | wielt | ||
| The word "wielt" can also mean "elected, chosen, or nominated". | |||
| Maltese | jeleġġi | ||
| The word "jeleġġi" is derived from the Arabic word "jalaq", meaning "to choose" or "to select". | |||
| Norwegian | velge | ||
| Velge in Norwegian derives from the Indo-European root *wel, meaning "to wish," "to choose," "to desire." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | eleger | ||
| In Portuguese, "eleger" shares its root with "elegia" (elegy), meaning a mournful poem or song, and "eleição" (election), as both involve choosing. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tagh | ||
| *Tagh* also refers to an official, a governor in Scots Gaelic and comes from a Germanic language meaning "to show" | |||
| Spanish | electo | ||
| In Spanish, "electo" can also mean "chosen", "called", or "designated." | |||
| Swedish | välja | ||
| The Swedish word "välja" is cognate with the English "will", and originally meant "to be chosen". | |||
| Welsh | ethol | ||
| The Welsh word "ethol" derives from the Proto-Celtic root "*walet", meaning "to choose". | |||
Elect in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | абраць | ||
| The word “абраць” is derived from the Proto-Slavic verb *obrati, which also means to “turn” or “change.” | |||
| Bosnian | izabrati | ||
| The word "izabrati" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *izbrati, which means "to choose". | |||
| Bulgarian | избирам | ||
| The verb "избирам" can also mean "to separate", "to sort" or "to prefer" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | zvolit | ||
| "Zvolit" also means "to choose", similar to the Slovak "zvoliť". | |||
| Estonian | valitud | ||
| The Estonian word "valitud" derives from "vali-" ("to elect, to choose") and the past passive suffix "-tud" | |||
| Finnish | valita | ||
| The word "valita" comes from the Proto-Finnic "*wale-," which also means "to choose" and "to gather." | |||
| Hungarian | választ | ||
| "Választ" also means "answer" in Hungarian | |||
| Latvian | ievēlēt | ||
| "Ievēlēt" is cognate with German "erwählen," Latin "ēlīgere," Ancient Greek "ἐκλέγω" (eklegō), and Sanskrit "वृणोति" (vrnoti). | |||
| Lithuanian | išrinkti | ||
| In Lithuanian, "išrinkti" means "to choose", and is also used in the context of elections, as in "to elect". Notably, the word itself does not have any political connotations. | |||
| Macedonian | избира | ||
| In Slavic languages, the word originates from the Proto-Indo-European root *wel-, meaning 'to choose'. The root is also the origin of the English word 'will'. | |||
| Polish | elekt | ||
| The Polish word "elekt" can also refer to the anode or cathode of a battery. | |||
| Romanian | alege | ||
| "Alegerea" means "choice", "election" and "prefer" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | избрать | ||
| The Russian verb "избрать" (elect) also means "to choose" or "to pick". | |||
| Serbian | изабрати | ||
| "Изабрати" also means "to choose" from the Old Church Slavonic word "izьbrati". | |||
| Slovak | vol | ||
| In Slovak the word 'vol' can also mean 'ox'. | |||
| Slovenian | izvoljen | ||
| The word 'izvoljen' also means 'chosen' in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | обраний | ||
| In Ukrainian, the word "обраний" can also refer to a "chosen" or "selected" person. | |||
Elect in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নির্বাচিত | ||
| The verb "নির্বাচিত" also means "chosen"} | |||
| Gujarati | ચૂંટાયેલા | ||
| The word "elect" comes from the Latin word "eligere," meaning "to choose." | |||
| Hindi | इलेक्ट्रोनिक | ||
| The term "elect" originates from the Greek word "elektron," meaning "amber," and refers to the static electrical charge that can be produced when amber is rubbed against certain materials. | |||
| Kannada | ಚುನಾಯಿತ | ||
| ಚುನಾಯಿತ also means chosen, selected, or approved. | |||
| Malayalam | തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കപ്പെട്ടവർ | ||
| Marathi | निवडलेले | ||
| The Marathi word 'निवडलेले' (elect) derives from the Sanskrit root 'Vrr', meaning 'to choose'. | |||
| Nepali | निर्वाचित | ||
| The word 'निर्वाचित' ('elect') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'निर्वाचन' ('selection'), which in turn comes from the root 'वृच्' ('to choose'). | |||
| Punjabi | ਚੋਣ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਚੋਣ" also has the meanings "wish" and "choice". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | තේරී පත් වූ අය | ||
| Tamil | தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டவர்கள் | ||
| The word "elect" comes from the Latin word "eligere," which means "to choose" or "to pick out." | |||
| Telugu | ఎన్నుకోండి | ||
| Urdu | چننا | ||
| The word "چننا" derives from Persian and Sanskrit, and originally meant "to select" or "to choose". | |||
Elect in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 选 | ||
| The character "选" was originally used in the sense of "select" in the oracle bone script and bronze script, and it was gradually used in the sense of "elect" in the Warring States period. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 選 | ||
| In Classical Chinese, 選 can also mean 'to classify'. | |||
| Japanese | 選出 | ||
| 選出 is also the word for the Shinshū-kyō's (True Pure Land Buddhism, a branch of Amidism) selection of people to be saved by Amitābha's vows. | |||
| Korean | 선택된 | ||
| 선택된(elect)은 '선택된 자'라는 뜻도 있으며, 종교적인 맥락에서는 '신에게 택함받은 자'를 의미한다. | |||
| Mongolian | сонгох | ||
| "Сонгох" is also used in Mongolian to refer to a meeting where a decision is made by vote. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရွေးကောက်တင်မြှောက်သည် | ||
Elect in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | memilih | ||
| Memilih also means "choose" or "pick" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | milih | ||
| The Javanese word "milih" can also mean "choose", "select", or "pick". | |||
| Khmer | ជ្រើសរើស | ||
| The term "ជ្រើសរើស" can also refer to the act of choosing something from a group, such as selecting a leader or a candidate. | |||
| Lao | ເລືອກຕັ້ງ | ||
| Malay | memilih | ||
| Memilih in Malay, which literally means 'to pick', can be used to describe the act of selecting someone for office, making a choice, or even taking something. | |||
| Thai | เลือก | ||
| The word "เลือก" also means "to choose" or "to select" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | trúng tuyển | ||
| In Vietnamese, "trúng tuyển" also means winning or passing an examination. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hinirang | ||
Elect in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | seçmək | ||
| The word "seçmək" also means "choose" in Azerbaijani, indicating a connection between electing and selecting. | |||
| Kazakh | таңдау | ||
| The word "таңдау" ("elect") also denotes "preference", "choice", and "option" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | тандоо | ||
| The word "тандоо" can also mean "to gather" or "to assemble". | |||
| Tajik | интихоб кардан | ||
| The Tajik word "интихоб кардан" is related to the Persian word "انتخاب کردن", meaning "to choose." | |||
| Turkmen | saýlaň | ||
| Uzbek | saylamoq | ||
| The word "saylamoq" in Uzbek also means "to choose" or "to select". | |||
| Uyghur | سايلانغان | ||
Elect in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | i waeia | ||
| In the Hawaiian language, the word "i waeia" can also refer to fishing rods or a tool used to catch birds. | |||
| Maori | hunga whiriwhiri | ||
| The word "hunga whiriwhiri" is not derived from any other Maori words, but rather comes from the English word "elect." | |||
| Samoan | filifilia | ||
| In Samoan, the word "filifilia" can also have the alternate meaning of "to choose". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hinirang | ||
| Hinirang originates from the Spanish term for 'chosen'. | |||
Elect in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chhijllatanaka | ||
| Guarani | ojeporavóva | ||
Elect in International Languages
| Esperanto | elekti | ||
| Esperanto "elekti" is related to Latin "ligere" (to gather together) and English "lect" (to read, collect, assemble). | |||
| Latin | eligere | ||
| The Latin word "eligere" also means "to pick out" or "to choose", and is the root of the English word "elite". | |||
Elect in Others Languages
| Greek | εκλεκτός | ||
| "Εκλεκτός" means "choice" and is cognate with the Latin "electus" from which we get our "elect." | |||
| Hmong | xaiv | ||
| The word "xaiv" in Hmong also means "to choose" or "to select". | |||
| Kurdish | hilbijartin | ||
| The word "hilbijartin" is thought to derive from the Old Persian word "hillbarti-", meaning "to choose" or "to select". | |||
| Turkish | seçmek | ||
| Elect was derived from a Turkish word | |||
| Xhosa | nyula | ||
| Nyula (Xhosa for ‘elect’) shares a root with ‘nyukel' – to point or designate something. | |||
| Yiddish | דערווייַלן | ||
| The Yiddish word "דערווייַלן" can also mean "to choose" or "to select". | |||
| Zulu | abakhethiwe | ||
| The word 'abakhethiwe' originates from the Zulu word 'ukukhetha', meaning 'to choose' or 'to select'. | |||
| Assamese | নিৰ্বাচিত | ||
| Aymara | chhijllatanaka | ||
| Bhojpuri | चुनल गइल बा | ||
| Dhivehi | އިންތިހާބު ކުރާށެވެ | ||
| Dogri | चुने | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hinirang | ||
| Guarani | ojeporavóva | ||
| Ilocano | napili | ||
| Krio | ilɛkt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | هەڵبژێرە | ||
| Maithili | चुनल गेल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯅꯒꯠꯂꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | thlan chhuah a ni | ||
| Oromo | filata | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମନୋନୀତ | ||
| Quechua | ajllasqa | ||
| Sanskrit | निर्वाचित | ||
| Tatar | сайланган | ||
| Tigrinya | ምረጹ | ||
| Tsonga | va hlawula | ||