Etymology of the English word elite
the English word
elitederived from the French word
elitederived from the Late Latin word
eligere (pick out, choose)
using the Late Latin prefix
e-derived from the Latin word
legere (read; gather, collect)
derived from the Greek word
legein, λέγω (to speak)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*leg- (to collect, to speak)
derived from the Old French word
eslitDate
The earliest known usage of elite in English dates from the 18th century.
Cognates
Dutch
elite, German
Elite, Norwegian
elite, Swedish
elitUsage
Word found in Modern English
