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eclectic (adj.)
1680s, "not confined to or following any one model or system," originally in reference to ancient philosophers who selected doctrines from every system; from French eclectique (1650s), from Greek eklektikos "selective," literally "picking out," from eklektos "selected," from eklegein "pick out, select," from ek "out" (see ex-) + legein "gather, choose," from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather." Broader sense of "borrowed from diverse sources" is first recorded 1847. As a noun from 1817.
updated on April 19, 2017
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Dictionary entries near eclectic
echopraxia
echovirus
eclair
eclampsia
eclat
eclectic
eclecticism
eclipse
ecliptic
eclogue
eco-