elegant

the word elegant traces its lineage to the latin verb eligere, meaning 'to pick out' or 'to choose'. this verb itself is composed of ex- ('out') and legere ('to gather, choose'). the original sense in latin, elegans, described someone who was 'tasteful, refined', essentially one who 'chooses carefully' or 'picks out' the best. over time, the meaning evolved from the act of discerning selection to the resulting quality of refined grace and tasteful simplicity. the modern english meaning retains this core idea of cultivated, selective beauty and ingenious simplicity.

Structure: e (out) + leg (choose) + ant (adjective suffix) e- (variant of ex-), from latin, meaning 'out'; -leg-, from latin root -lig- (as in ligere, to choose, to pick out); -ant, from latin -antem, an adjectival suffix meaning 'performing the action of'.