choice

English Online Dictionary. What means choice‎? What does choice mean?

English

Alternative forms

• choise, choyse (both obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɔɪs/
• (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃojs/
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɒɪs/
  • (Dublin) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃäɪs/
• Rhymes: -ɔɪs

Etymology 1

From Middle English chois, from Old French chois (“choice”), from choisir (“to choose, perceive”), possibly via assumed Vulgar Latin *causīre (“to choose”), from Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kausjan, “to make a choice, taste, test, choose”), from Proto-Germanic *kauzijaną, from *keusaną (“to choose”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵews- (“to choose”). Akin to Old High German kiosan (“to choose”), Old English ċēosan (“to choose”), Old Norse kjósa (“to choose”). More at choose.

Noun

choice (countable and uncountable, plural choices)

1. An option; a decision; an opportunity to choose or select something.
2. (uncountable) The power to choose.
3. One selection or preference; that which is chosen or decided; the outcome of a decision.

4. Anything that can be chosen.

5. (usually with the) The best or most preferable part.
6. (obsolete) Care and judgement in selecting; discrimination, selectiveness.
   • 1757, Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, London: R. & J. Dodsley, Part I, Section I, p. 1,^[2]

     We see children perpetually running from place to place to hunt out something new; they catch with great eagerness, and with very little choice, at whatever comes before them; their attention is engaged by every thing, because every thing has, in that stage of life, the charm of novelty to recommend it.

7. (obsolete) A sufficient number to choose among.
8. (set theory) Ellipsis of axiom of choice.

Synonyms

• (selection or preference): option, possibility; see also Thesaurus:option
• (anything that can be chosen): assortment, range, selection
• (definite: best or most preferable part): the cream
• (sufficient number to choose among): abundance, profusion; see also Thesaurus:cornucopia

Derived terms

Related terms

• choose
• choosey
• chosen

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English choys, from a merger of the noun above and Middle English chyse, chuse, chys, chis (“choice, excellent”), from Old English ċīes (“choice; dainty; nice”), related to Old English ċēosan (“to choose”).

Adjective

choice (comparative choicer or more choice, superlative choicest or most choice)

1. Especially good or preferred.

   Synonyms: prime, prize, quality, select, choicy
2. (obsolete) Careful in choosing; discriminating.
   • 1856, J. R. Planché (tr.), Fairy Tales by the Countess d'Aulnoy, The Princess Carpillon:

     Thus musing, he ate nothing; the Queen, believing that it was in consequence of his having been unkindly received, loaded him with caresses; she herself handed him some exquisite fruits, of which she was very choice.

Translations

Interjection

choice

1. (slang, New Zealand) Cool; excellent.

See also

• choicy

References

• “choice”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “choice”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• echoic

Middle English

Noun

choice

1. Alternative form of chois

Adjective

choice

1. Alternative form of chois