-io

an action, process, or result

Forms

-io
-ion- — The longer form used before Latin endings.
-ion — The form carried into many English nouns.

Origin

An old Latin noun ending, inherited from earlier Indo-European word formation.

Note

The ending can name both an activity and what that activity produces.

335 / 371

noun

selection

sih-LEK-shun/sɪˈlekʃn/

The deliberate choosing of available options.

The man makes his selection, lifting one pear from the group.

A man selects one pear from a small group of pears on a tabletop, lifting it away while the others remain together.

Etymology

seLatinapart or away

+lectLatingather, choose; read

+ionLatinan action, process, or result

Choosing things apart from a group becomes an action noun through the ending. The meaning also extended from the act of choosing to the thing or set chosen.

In context

KAIROS Canada76:59

leadership selection and we have two avenues that one is the first nations election act and the other is a custom code

2021 Great Lakes /St. Lawrence Gathering: Furthering Reconciliation

More examples

Careful selection of materials helps the roof last longer.
Please make your selection before the server returns.
Her final selection is a quiet hotel near the station.

Forms

selection · selections

select verb — To choose from a set of options.

selective adjective — Careful about which options to choose.

Similar words

choice: Often names the decision or option rather than the process.
picking: More informal, often used for choosing individual items.