Votes

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /vəʊts/

Definitions

1. A means by which individuals indicate their preferences in political or social matters
2. An expression of approval or choice in a decision-making process ; the act of formally selecting a candidate or option by ballot
3. The indication of a preference or opinion in a group decision ; participation in an election by submitting a ballot

Etymology: The noun and verb "vote" are the plural form's base, and the plural "votes" simply counts separate ballots or expressions of choice. The root idea is a solemn promise. "Vote" comes from Latin "vōtum", a thing vowed, from "voveō", "to vow", which shares its origin with the Ancient Greek "eúkhomai", "to vow" or "to pray". A vow and a vote were once close kin, and the two words still form a doublet, both descending from the same Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to promise". The sense of a vote as a ballot or choice came later, once the idea of a pledge had shifted toward expressing one's will in a formal decision. The plural "votes" carries that sense of many individual pledges added together into a single result.

Synonyms: ballots, polls, referendums, decisions, choices

Antonyms: abstentions, disapproval, rejection, nonparticipation, apathy