Plebiscite

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈplɛbɪsaɪt/

Definitions

1. A direct vote by all eligible citizens on an important public question or proposed constitutional change
2. A binding vote of the electorate that allows citizens to express their preference on a specific political issue or constitutional amendment
3. An election in which all qualified voters participate to decide on a significant political or constitutional question

Etymology: Roman law once made the common people's voice binding. A "plebiscitum" was a decree passed by the plebeian assembly of ancient Rome, and it applied to the plebs, the ordinary citizens, rather than to the whole state. Its Latin name joins "plebis," the genitive of "plebs" meaning common people, with "scitum," a decree or statute. The word passed into French as "plébiscite," and English borrowed it in its modern political sense, which is why a plebiscite today is a vote in which every eligible voter weighs in on a major question. The English word sits alongside a near-twin, "plebiscitum," which keeps the Latin ending and names the Roman law itself. The two words are doublets, both descended from the same Latin source, and the older Latin-shaped form was recorded for the ancient legal sense before the more familiar form took over the modern meaning of a public vote.

Synonyms: referendum, vote