plebiscite English · revision 816
10 Oct 2026, 23:52 by bogdan “New entry from the dictionary sources (AHD, Barnhart, Etymonline, MW, OED, RHWU, Wiktionary, Hoad, MED, Word Origins)” current version
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈplɛbɪsaɪt/, /-sɪt/ ''(UK)''; /ˈplɛbəˌsaɪt/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is [[bor|fr|plébiscite]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[der|la|plēbiscītum|t=decree of the common people]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) from ''plēbis'', genitive of ''plēbs'' “the common people” (see [[plebeian]]), and ''scītum'' “decree”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) the neuter past participle of ''scīscere'' “to vote for, approve”, an inchoative of ''scīre'' “to know”.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ In Roman history, a law enacted by the plebeians in their assembly (1533).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ The modern sense of French ''plébiscite'' dates from 1776, first with reference to Switzerland.^(Etymonline) In English the modern political sense, a direct vote of the whole electorate on a question of public importance, appears in the 1850s, at first with reference to France (1852 in Etymonline; 1860 in the OED, Barnhart and Merriam-Webster).^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate) It is especially used of a vote by which a people decides its own government or national affiliation.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) In the 17th century the word could also mean a popular decree or maxim.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1533 – a law of the Roman plebs.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)
+ * 1637 – a popular decree or maxim (obsolete).^(OED 1989)
+ * 1776 – French ''plébiscite'' in the modern sense.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1852 – a direct popular vote (of France).^(Etymonline)
+ * 1860 – first OED quotation in the modern sense.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A direct vote in which the whole [[electorate]] of a country or district accepts or rejects a proposal; a [[referendum]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # A vote by which a people exercises its right of [[self-determination]], as in choosing its government or affiliation.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)
+ # ''(Roman history)'' A law enacted by the [[plebeian|alt=plebeians]].^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[plebiscitary]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[plebeian]]
+ * [[plebs]]
+ * [[science]]
+ * [[referendum]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}