selection

[ si-lek-shuhn ]
/ sɪˈlɛk ʃən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR selection ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of selecting or the state of being selected; choice.
a thing or a number of things selected.
an aggregate of things displayed for choice, purchase, use, etc.; a group from which a choice may be made: The store had a wide selection of bracelets.
Biology. any natural or artificial process that results in differential reproduction among the members of a population so that the inheritable traits of only certain individuals are passed on, or are passed on in greater proportion, to succeeding generations. Compare natural selection, sexual selection, kin selection, artificial selection.
Linguistics.
  1. the choice of one form instead of another in a position where either can occur, as of ask instead of tell or with in the phrase ask me.
  2. the choice of one semantic or syntactic class of words in a construction, to the exclusion of others that do not occur there, as the choice of an animate object for the verb surprise.

Origin of selection

1640–50; < Latin sēlēctiōn- (stem of sēlēctiō), equivalent to sēlēct(us) (see select) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM selection

se·lec·tion·al, adjective non·se·lec·tion, noun re·se·lec·tion, noun su·per·se·lec·tion, noun

Words nearby selection

select, select committee, selecta, selectance, selectee, selection, selection rule, selective, selective attention, selective inhibition, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor

Words related to selection

option, excerpt, collection, choice, draft, election, pick, alternative, druthers, choosing, culling

Example sentences from the Web for selection

British Dictionary definitions for selection

selection
/ (sɪˈlɛkʃən) /

noun

the act or an instance of selecting or the state of being selected
a thing or number of things that have been selected
a range from which something may be selected this shop has a good selection of clothes
biology the natural or artificial process by which certain organisms or characters are reproduced and perpetuated in the species in preference to others See also natural selection
a contestant in a race chosen as likely to win or come second or third
Australian
  1. the act of free-selecting
  2. a tract of land acquired by free-selection

Medical definitions for selection

selection
[ sĭ-lĕk′shən ]

n.

A natural or artificial process that favors or induces survival and perpetuation of one kind of organism over others that die or fail to produce offspring.