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selection

n.
US //səˈɫɛkʃən// UK //sɪlˈɛkʃən// se·lec·tion
  1. 1 the act of choosing (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the act or process of picking someone or something from a group.

    the process or act of choosing from a range of possibilities. Often used uncountably to describe the procedure itself.

    Example

    The selection of the final team took the coach several hours.

    Example

    The selection of a new CEO is a rigorous process that involves multiple rounds of interviews and psychological assessments.
  2. 2 a range of options (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a variety of different things that you can choose from.

    a collection or variety of items from which a choice may be made.

    Example

    The shop has a wide selection of fresh bread and cakes.

    Example

    The boutique offers a curated selection of vintage clothing, catering to a niche market of fashion historians and collectors.
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  1. 3 the chosen items (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the specific person or thing that has been picked.

    the specific individual or group of individuals that has been selected from a larger population.

    Example

    Her selection for the national choir was a dream come true.

    Example

    The committee's final selection surprised many, as they opted for a relatively unknown candidate over the industry veteran.
  2. 4 natural selection (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Science

    the process where living things that are better suited to their environment survive and have babies.

    the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. Often used as a shorthand for 'natural selection'.

    Example

    In biology class, we learned how selection helps animals change over time.

    Example

    Darwinian selection remains the cornerstone of modern evolutionary biology, explaining the gradual diversification of species through environmental pressures.
  3. 5 computing/data (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Computing

    a part of a document or a list of data that you have highlighted to work on.

    a highlighted or specified set of data or text upon which a user operation is performed.

    Example

    You can copy your selection by pressing the right mouse button.

    Example

    The software allows for the precise selection of pixels based on colour frequency, facilitating complex image manipulation.
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.

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