The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Select \Se*lect"\, a. [L. selectus, p. p. 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.
   [1913 Webster]

         A few select spirits had separated from the crowd, and
         formed a fit audience round a far greater teacher.
                                                  --Macaulay.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Select \Se*lect"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Selected; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Selecting.]
   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.
   [1913 Webster]

         The pious chief . . .
         A hundred youths from all his train selects. --Dryden.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

select
    adj 1: of superior grade; "choice wines"; "prime beef"; "prize
           carnations"; "quality paper"; "select peaches" [syn:
           choice, prime(a), prize, quality, select]
    2: selected or chosen for special qualifications; "the blue-
       ribbon event of the season" [syn: blue-ribbon(a), select]
    v 1: pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives;
         "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for
         your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among
         the dozen the salesgirl had shown her" [syn: choose,
         take, select, pick out]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

183 Moby Thesaurus words for "select":
   accepted, adopted, advert to, allude to, analyze, appoint,
   appointed, approved, assign, be taken as, best, better, carried,
   champion, choice, choose, choose out, chosen, clannish, cliquish,
   closed, contradistinguish, cream, cull, dainty, decide between,
   delicate, demarcate, demark, denominate, denote, designate,
   designated, determine, differentiate, discriminate, discriminating,
   distinguish, divide, draw the line, elect, elected,
   elected by acclamation, elegant, elite, emblematize, embraced,
   espoused, ethnocentric, excellent, exceptional, excerpt, excluding,
   exclusive, exclusory, exquisite, extract, fat, favored, favorite,
   figure, fine, finest, finger, first-class, first-rate, fix, flower,
   for the best, glean, greatest, handpick, handpicked, inadmissible,
   indicate, insular, limited, make a selection, mark,
   mark the interface, matchless, mention, name, named, narrow,
   nominate, nominated, nonesuch, nonpareil, opt for, optimal,
   optimum, ordain, ordinate, paragon, paramount, parochial, passed,
   peerless, pick, pick out, picked, pin down, point at, point out,
   point to, preclusive, prefer, preferable, preferred, prescriptive,
   preventive, prime, privileged, prize, prohibitive, queen,
   quintessence, quintessential, rare, ratified, recherche, refer to,
   restricted, restrictive, screen, screen out, screened, seclusive,
   segregate, segregative, selected, selective, separate, separative,
   set, set a limit, set apart, set off, sever, severalize, sieve,
   sieve out, sift, sift out, signify, single out, snobbish, snobby,
   sort, sort out, special, specialize, specify, split hairs,
   stand for, state, stigmatize, stipulate, subdivide, subtilize,
   superior, superlative, supreme, surpassing, symbol, symbolize, tab,
   take, the best, the best ever, the tops, the very best, top,
   typify, unanimously elected, unmatchable, unmatched, unparalleled,
   unsurpassed, very best, winnow, xenophobic