To pick means to choose something from a group or to pull or pluck something off, like fruit from a tree.
From Middle English 'piken' meaning 'to prick, pierce, pick', possibly from a Germanic root related to 'pike' or 'peak'. The sense of 'choose' grew from the idea of selecting something with the fingers.
When you 'pick' something, you’re doing with your mind what your fingers do with berries on a bush—grabbing one and leaving the rest. That’s why a 'pickaxe' and a 'guitar pick' share a root with the choice you make in a 'draft pick'.
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