ENGLISH
REFERENCE

selection

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //səˈɫɛkʃən// UK //sɪlˈɛkʃən// se·lec·tion Archaic General-service

n. a group of things or people that have been chosen from a larger group. It can also mean the act of choosing something carefully.

n. the process of choosing someone or something from a group, or a collection of items chosen for a specific purpose. Often used in biological contexts to describe the survival of organisms better adapted to their environment.


SIMPLE

The shop offers a wide selection of fresh bread.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee will announce their final selection for the scholarship after the interviews are finished.

COMPLEX

Natural selection drives evolutionary change by ensuring that individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and pass those characteristics to the next generation.

Synonyms
Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin sēlēctiō (“the act of choosing out, selection”), from sēligō (“choose out, select”), from sē- (“apart”) + legō (“gather, select”). Equivalent to select + -ion.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the process of choosing; countable when referring to a specific collection of items.

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