What is the Latin word for choose?

The usual Latin words for “choose” are ēligō, dēligō, sēligō; also optō, adhibeō, volō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“choose” in Latin

ēligōto choose, to pluck or root out, extract; to pick out, choose, elect dēligōto pick off, pluck off; to cull; to choose or select; to enroll, levy sēligōto separate by culling out; pick or choose out, select, cull optōto choose, select, prefer, opt; to wish for, hope for, long for, desire adhibeōto extend, hold out; to attend (to), handle, look after; to apply, adopt, employ volōto wish, to please; to want; to mean, to intend verbumword; proverb, saying; verb exquīrōto seek or seek out, search for or hunt up; to inquire into

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

choose

eligere (to choose one out of several, without reference to any particular end): deligere (to choose what is or seems to be the best for a particular end: eligitur qui ex promiscua multitudine legitur: deligitur, qui ex pluribus, sed idoneis legitur): seligere (choose and set apart): optare (decide for what one thinks good and advisable; in prose nearly always followed by a disjunctive proposition): habere delectum alicujus rei (e.g., verborum, to proceed with judgment and choice in anything): adhibere (choose out and apply to a purpose, Quint., 9, 4, 11). Sometimes exquirere (if careful search is implied). To choose a place for a camp, locum castris capere; idoneum locum castris deligere: to choose one out of them all, unum e cunctis deligere: fit men for any purpose, idoneos alicui rei homines deligere: a son-in-law, aliquem sibi generum deligere (Liv.); to choose death before slavery, mortem servituti anteponere: of two evils to choose the least, ex malis minimum eligere: a line of life, vitae rationem inire: a husband for one’s daughter, maritum filiae prospicere: words, expressions, verba eligere, deligere: some one person as an example for imitation, unum sibi ad imitatum deligere (Cic.). To let anybody choose, alicui optionem dare, facere, etc. [Vid: CHOICE.]

Wish, be willing, velle. I don’t choose, nolo. I choose rather, malo: if you choose, si vis, si tibi placet: as you choose, ut libet: whether I choose or not, velim nolim. I don’t choose either to - or to -, neque - neque - in animo est (Ter.).

Elect (to an office). Vid:

PHR., I can not choose but, non possum non (with infinitive) facere non possum, quin (with subjunctive).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for choose?: The usual Latin words for “choose” are ēligō, dēligō, sēligō; also optō, adhibeō, volō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.