See Also: Elective(medicine)
elective(dictionary)
Elective(health)
Elective surgery(medicine)
elective 2, noun(dictionary)
elective 1, adjective(dictionary)
Elective surgery(health)
Elective mutism(health)
Non-elective contribution(finance)
elective mutism(medicine)

elective (iou)



elective adjective & noun. LME.
[Old & mod. French electif, -ive, from late Latin electivus, formed as ELECT verb: see -IVE.]
A. adjective.
Pertaining to or proceeding from choice; voluntary, optional. obsolete exc. as below. LME.
b. (Of a course or subject at college or high school) taken at the choice of the student, optional; of, pertaining to, or containing such courses etc. Orig. US. M19.
c. Medicine. Of an operation: at the option of the doctor or patient, not urgently necessary. M20.
Appointed by election; derived from or dependent on election. L15.
E. A. Freeman The hereditary prince may be exchanged for an elective chief magistrate. New York Times You have to know when to get into politics in terms of elective office.
b. Subject to election at specified intervals. M17-M18.
Having the power to elect. M17.
Pertaining to election; based on the principle of election. M17.
C. Merivale A preference of the elective to the hereditary principle in every department of government.
Orig. Chemistry. Having a tendency to act on or be concerned with some things rather than others; preferential; sympathetic. M18.
J. Tyndall Light..which has been sifted..by elective absorption. Perry Anderson Traditional British culture has an elective affinity with certain types of expatriate.
b. noun.
An elected representative. Only in E18.
An elective subject or course of study. Orig. US. M19.
electively adverb LME.
electiveness noun (rare) M19.