ineligible
Meaning
Not meeting the legal or official requirements to be considered for something.
Not suitable or worthy to be chosen.
Structure
Usage
The athlete was declared ineligible to compete due to a failed drug test.
Candidates without a university degree are ineligible for this managerial position.
His criminal record made him ineligible for jury service.
Etymology
The word 'ineligible' is a straightforward negation formed in English by adding the Latin-derived negative prefix 'in-' to the adjective 'eligible.' The core, 'eligible,' traces back to the Latin verb eligere, meaning "to pick out" or "to choose," which itself is a compound of e- (a variant of ex-, meaning "out") and legere ("to gather, pick, read"). Thus, the literal sense of eligibilis was "able to be picked out." The modern abstract meaning of 'ineligible' logically follows this construction: it describes someone or something that is "not able to be chosen" due to failing to meet stipulated criteria, preserving the ancient logic of selection and exclusion inherent in its roots.
Analysis
- in: A Latin prefix meaning "not" or "without." It functions as a negative particle. - eligible: From Latin eligibilis ("that may be chosen"), derived from eligere ("to pick out, choose"). It functions as the core adjective meaning "qualified" or "worthy of choice."