eligible

el·i·gi·ble

adjective \ˈe-lə-jə-bəl\

Definition of ELIGIBLE

1

a : qualified to participate or be chosen <eligible to retire>

b : permitted under football rules to catch a forward pass

2

: worthy of being chosen <an eligible young bachelor>

— el·i·gi·bil·i·ty \ˌe-lə-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

— eligible noun

— el·i·gi·bly \ˈe-lə-jə-blē\ adverb

Examples of ELIGIBLE

1. I'd like to join but I'm not eligible yet.
2. … more than six years since the fall of the Taliban, fewer than 30% of eligible girls are enrolled in schools, and the infrastructure is so poor that only a tiny fraction are likely to get the education they need to enjoy the fruits of emancipation. —Aryn Baker, Time, 28 Jan. 2008
3. She wanted to start her own family. She was twenty-six and without prospects. At church her mother prayed, and at Crystal Nail, where she lacquered and lengthened, her mother asked customers about eligible young men. She kept Li En's graduation photo mounted in the right corner of her mirror, so that every customer would see her daughter, diploma in hand. —Max Apple, Atlantic, November 2003

Origin of ELIGIBLE

Middle English, from Late Latin eligibilis, from Latin eligere to choose — more at elect

First Known Use: 15th century