Etymology: Middle English chois , choys , < Old French chois (modern French choix ), < chois-ir to choose. Choisir (Old North French coisir ) is cognate with Provençal causir , chausir , whence Old Italian ciausire , Old Spanish *cosir (in cosido seen), Portuguese *cousir (in cousimento choice) < Romanic *causire < German kausjan , in Gothic, to try, test, prove, taste, derivative of kiusan , past tense kaus , to try, test, prove, discern, perceive, see, choose n. The Romance verb had also in early times the senses ‘perceive, see’, as well as ‘discern, choose’. The French word chois supplanted the Old English cyre , early Middle English kire , cure (ü) < West Germanic kuri < Germanic kuzi-z , < kuz- weak grade of keus- to choose v.The fact that kire , cure , had in its phonetic development become so completely detached from any current inflection of choose n., while this French word lay phonetically so near, and so naturally suggested relationship to choose , chose , chosen , without doubt led to the displacement of the native by the alien word. The continuous mutual influence of the noun and verb is evidenced by the fact that there arose also a noun choose n. and a verb choise v.

Etymology: Probably due to association of the native chis adj. with choice n.