elect

When used as a verb meaning 'to choose,' it is often followed by an infinitive (e.g., "elect to stay") or a noun phrase. As an adjective, the word 'elect' usually comes after the noun it describes, such as in "president-elect" or "mayor-elect," to indicate that the person has won the election but hasn't started the job yet. When used as a noun referring to a privileged group (the elect), it is almost always used with the definite article 'the' and functions as a plural noun.