Plebiscites

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to approve or reject a proposal, often related to constitutional or political issues
2. A method of decision-making where citizens express their opinion through voting on specific measures or policies
3. A form of democratic participation allowing voters to voice their preferences on significant national or local decisions through referendums

Etymology: The word's most striking feature is the way it was built: Roman law gave it its shape before anyone thought of using it for voting. In Rome, a "plebiscitum" was a decree passed by the plebeians, the common people, in their own assembly, as distinct from laws passed by the wider citizen body. The Latin is a compound of "plebis", the genitive of "plebs" meaning common people, and "scitum", a decree or ordinance. The word reached English by way of French, where "plébiscite" came to mean a direct vote by the whole electorate on a major question. English took it up as a learned borrowing, and it has been used in the sense of a referendum on a single question of public policy ever since. A parallel form, "plebiscitum", was also borrowed into English directly from Latin, so the two coexist as doublets.

Synonyms: referendums, votes, polls, ballots, elections