electus

Electus is a Latin term meaning chosen or selected. It is the past participle of the verb eligere, from which the English word elect derives. As a Latin adjective or participle, electus has historically been used to describe someone who has been chosen for a particular role, task, or office. In Latin texts, the form appears in various genders and numbers (electus, electa, electum) to agree with the noun it modifies.

In religious contexts, electus has been used to denote groups or individuals designated for a specific rite or fate. In the Roman Catholic tradition and some Protestant traditions, the phrase the elect refers to people who are designated for baptism or who are regarded as spiritually chosen for salvation. The Latin form appears in liturgical and scholastic writings, and the concept has carried into English through phrases such as “the elect” or “elect” to describe those deemed to be in a special, predestined category.

In English usage, elect functions both as a verb meaning to choose and as an adjective or noun related to being chosen. The noun form “the elect” is commonly used in political contexts to refer to candidates who have won an election, as well as in theological discourse to describe the destined faithful. The word has also influenced related terms, such as electoral and election, which derive from the same Latin lineage.

Electus appears primarily in classical, religious, and scholarly contexts. Outside those domains, the term is most often encountered as a historical or linguistic reference rather than a contemporary common usage.