Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Select

Select , adjective

[Latin selectus, past participle of seligere to select; pref. se- aside + levere to gather. See Legend.]

Taken from a number by preferance; picked out as more valuable or exellent than others; of special value or exellence; nicely chosen; selected; choice.
A few select spirits had separated from the crowd, and formed a fit audience round a far greater teacher. — Macaulay

Select , transitive verb

To choose and take from a number; to take by preference from among others; to pick out; to cull; as, to select the best authors for perusal.
One peculiar nation to select. — Milton
The pious chief... A hundred youths from all his train selects. — Dryden