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In an elective manner; by choice.

One who elects, or has the right of choice; a person who is entitled to take part in an election, or to give his vote in favor of a candidate for office.

The state or quality of being elegant; beauty as resulting from choice qualities and the complete absence of what deforms or impresses unpleasantly; grace given by art or practice; fine polish; refinement; -- said of manners, language, style, form, architecture, etc. That grace that elegance affords. Drayton. The endea…

Very choice, and hence, pleasing to good taste; characterized by grace, propriety, and refinement, and the absence of every thing offensive; exciting admiration and approbation by symmetry, completeness, freedom from blemish, and the like; graceful; tasteful and highly attractive; as, elegant manners; elegant style of…

A choice or select body; the flower; as, the élite of society.

Marriage only within the tribe; a custom restricting a man in his choice of a wife to the tribe to which he belongs; -- opposed to exogamy.

Select; choice; hence, extraordinary, excellent. [Obs.] The eximious and arcane science of physic. Fuller.

id, . . . We be come from a far country. Josh. ix. 6. The nations far and near contend in choice. Dryden.

Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive. You bless with choicer wine the festal day. Francis.

The fairest, freshest, and choicest part of anything; as, the flower of an army, or of a family; the state or time of freshness and bloom; as, the flower of life, that is, youth. The choice and flower of all things profitable the Psalms do more briefly contain. Hooker. The flower of the chivalry of all Spain. Southey.…

Casual choice; fortuitous selection; hazard. [R.] No mode of election operating in the spirit of fortition or rotation can be generally good. Burke.

To divide (a State) into districts for the choice of representatives, in an unnatural and unfair way, with a view to give a political party an advantage over its opponent. [Political Cant, U. S.]

Preferably; by choice. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Intellectual taste; fancy. A choice of it may be made according to the gust and manner of the ancients. Dryden.

A book containing the list and pedigrees of one or more herds of choice breeds of cattle; -- also called herd record, or herd register.

The pigfish or sailor's choice.

g utensils; to house cattle. At length have housed me in a humble shed. Young. House your choicest carnations, or rather set them under a penthouse. Evelyn.

qualities, conduct, manners, and the like; to counterfeit; to copy. A place picked out by choice of best alive The Nature's work by art can imitate. Spenser. This hand appeared a shining sword to weild, And that sustained an imitated shield. Dryden.

Not bound by party; exercising a free choice in voting with either or any party. Independent company (Mil.), one not incorporated in any regiment. -- Independent seconds watch, a stop watch having a second hand driven by a separate set of wheels, springs, etc., for timing to a fraction of a second. -- Independent var…

Not inclined to one side, party, or choice more than to another; neutral; impartial. Indifferent in his choice to sleep or die. Addison.