Ineligibility

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of being unqualified to receive a specific benefit, join an organization, or meet set standards
2. The circumstance in which an individual fails to satisfy the required criteria for participation, acceptance, or entitlement
3. The state of lacking qualifications necessary for certain roles, benefits, or memberships

Etymology: "Ineligibility" is built from three parts: the prefix "in-" meaning "not," the root "eligible," and the suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun for a state or quality. "Eligible" itself goes back to the Latin "eligere," meaning "to choose out," from "e-" (out) and "legere" (to pick or gather). So the word's core idea is being picked out or selected, and "ineligibility" names the condition of not being selected for something. The noun reached English by way of French. It was borrowed from French "inéligibilité," which had come into French from Middle French, so the English form passed through that intermediate stage rather than being built directly from Latin. Its meaning stayed close to the original sense: a person who is ineligible is one who lacks the qualifications to be chosen, whether for office, membership or a prize.

Synonyms: disqualification, exclusion

Antonyms: eligibility, qualification