What does selector mean?
A selector is anything that enables or carries out a choice: it may be a person who chooses, a control on a device, a component in a machine, or a rule that identifies specific items in a system. People encounter selectors in everyday interfaces through language menus, date controls, media settings, and other options, while programmers use the term for patterns that determine which elements a stylesheet or query affects. The word is therefore both practical and technical, connecting the idea of making a choice with the mechanisms that make choices consistently. It can also have a specialized mathematical sense for a function or set that selects one member from a collection. Although selector can sound more technical than chooser, both words are standard, with chooser usually being preferred when the emphasis is on the person making the decision and selector when the emphasis is on a device, rule, or procedure.
nounA person, device, mechanism, or rule that selects or helps to choose among alternatives. In computing, a selector is also a pattern or instruction used to identify particular items, such as elements in a stylesheet.
- A person or thing that selects, chooses, or determines among alternatives.
- A device, control, or component used to make a choice, such as a language, date, or mode selector.
- In computing, a pattern or instruction that identifies particular items, especially elements in a stylesheet or records in a query.
- In mathematics, a function or set that chooses one member from each member of a specified collection.
"Use the language selector on the website to choose your preferred translation."
"The color selector allows users to choose a background from the available palette."
"In the stylesheet, the selector applies a different style to links that the visitor has already visited."
The standard plural is selectors.
"The form includes selectors for the most frequently used settings."
In a stylesheet, a selector is the rule that tells software which visual elements to target, turning a visual instruction into an automated action.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does selector come from?
Selector was formed in English from select and the suffix -or, a combination indicating a person or thing that performs an action. Its ultimate source is the Latin seligere, meaning “to choose” or “to pick out,” associated with legere, “to gather, collect, or pick out.” Related English words such as selection, selective, elect, election, and elective belong to the same broad Latin and Germanic choosing tradition.
How selector is actually used
The word is common in technical and instructional contexts, especially in computing, user interfaces, and machinery. When referring to a person who chooses, chooser is often the more natural term.
Easily confused with selector
A selector performs or enables a choice, whereas a selection is the choice or set of choices that results.
Select is the action of choosing, while a selector is the person, device, or rule that carries out or specifies the choice.