Disenfranchisers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Those who strip others of their rights or privileges, particularly the right to vote
2. individuals or groups that undermine the participation of others in a civic or electoral process
3. agents who actively remove or diminish the power and influence of certain populations in democratic systems

Etymology: "Disenfranchisers" is simply the plural of "disenfranchiser", a person who disenfranchises others. The noun is built from the verb "disenfranchise" with the agent suffix "-er", and the verb itself is built from the prefix "dis-", meaning removal or reversal, and "enfranchise", meaning to grant someone rights, especially the right to vote or the status of a free citizen. Enfranchise came into English from Old French, and its root sense is a granting of freedom, so the "dis-" form reverses that grant. Because the word is a straightforward formation from existing English parts, its meaning follows directly from them: a disenfranchiser is someone who strips another of a right or privilege, most often the vote.