English → Latin
“pick” in Latin
ēligōto choose, to pluck or root out, extract; to pick out, choose, electsēligōto separate by culling out; pick or choose out, select, culldēligōto pick off, pluck off; to cull; to choose or select; to enroll, levydēlēctusselection, choice, distinction; levy, recruitingexquīrōto seek or seek out, search for or hunt up; to inquire intoconquīrōto seek for, hunt up, search out eagerly or carefully, go in quest of; to collect, bring together; to investigate, searceximiusselect, choice; special, particular, exceptional, remarkable, extraordinary; exemptēgregiusdistinguished, excellent, eminent; illustrious, honorable
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
pick
To select, eligere; seligere; deligere: to pick stones out of a field, elapidare agrum: Picked, electus, selectus, delectus (also figuratively = superior): exquisitus, conquisitus (very choice): eximius, egregius, praestans (excellent): a picked band or company, delecta manus; flos juventutis. [Vid: also, SELECT.]
To pierce with a pointed instrument, perifodere: to pick the teeth, dentes spina perfodere (with a tooth-pick of wood or metal, Petronius): os fodere lentisco (with a wooden tooth-pick, Mart., 6, 74, 3): dentes penna levare (with a quill, Mart., 14, 22, 2).
To gather (fruit), demere poma arboribus; detrahere poma arboribus; legere poma ex or ab arboribus: to pick grapes, uvas legere; detrahere uvas arboribus.
Phrases: to pick a hole in one’s coat, videre vitium in alio; multa vitia in aliquo, or rather in aliquem colligere (Cic., Tusc., 4, 37, 80; Vid: Kuhner): to pick one’s pocket, suppilare, surripere; arte mala subducere; emungere aliquem argento [Vid: CHEAT]: to pick a quarrel, jurgii causam inferre (Phaedrus); in jurgium ruere (Quint.). PICK UP, colligere: to pick up one’s crumbs, revalescere: corpus facere (Cels.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for pick?
- The usual Latin words for “pick” are ēligō, sēligō, dēligō; also dēlēctus, exquīrō, conquīrō. 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.