Eclectic
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ɛkˈlɛk.tɪk/, /ɪˈklɛk.tɪk/
Alternative forms
- eclectick obsolete
Origin
From French éclectique, from Ancient Greek á¼ÎºÎ»ÎµÎºÏ„ικός (eklektikos, "selective"), from á¼ÎºÎ»Îγω (eklegÅ, "I pick, choose"), from á¼Îº (ek, "out, from") + λÎγω (legÅ, "I choose, count").
Cognate to elect, which is from Latin rather than Ancient Greek, hence prefix e- (from ex) rather than á¼Îº.
Full definition of eclectic
Adjective
eclectic
- Selecting a mixture of what appears to be best of various doctrines, methods or styles.
- 1893, John Robson, Hinduism and its Relations to Christianity, page 211, 214Chunder Sen and the Progressive Brahmists broke entirely with Hinduism...and he selected from the scriptures of all creeds what seemed best in them for instruction and for worship. ... It is an eclectic religion: it seeks to select what is good from all religions, and it has become the latest evidence that no eclectic religion can ever influence large numbers of men.
- Unrelated and unspecialized; heterogeneous.
- 1983, Peter J. Wilson, Man, the Promising Primate: The Conditions of Human Evolution, page 140All members of the Hominoidea, apes and man, show an eclectic taste in food but select, from a wide range of possibilities, only a few to provide the bulk of their diet.
- 2006, W. Frederick Zimmerman, Should Barack Obama Be President?, page 153Colvin said Obama has an eclectic taste in music, listening to everything from Indonesian flute music to OutKast to Motown.
Derived terms
Synonyms
- (unrelated and unspecialized) heterogeneous
Antonyms
- (selecting a mixture of doctrines) exclusive, homogeneous, orthodox, standard, uniform