plebiscite

1. A direct vote in which the entire electorate is invited to accept or refuse a proposal: The new constitution was ratified in a plebiscite.
2. A vote in which a population exercises the right of national self-determination.

[French plébiscite, from Latin plēbiscītum : plēbis, genitive of plēbs, the people + scītum, decree, from neuter past participle of scīscere, to vote for.]

Speculation is rife about how the French nation's repudiation of the EU constitution will affect the political fortunes of President Jacques Chirac. Before the vote,

"Mr. Chirac had vowed not to change his government if the referendum failed, saying it was 'neither a plebiscite nor a moment of political change.'"

Either way, the rejection could signal a halt to European expansion and unification.

Link: French Voters Soundly Reject European Union Constitution

Posted May 31, 2005.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

noun the direct vote of all the members of an electorate on an important public question such as a change in the constitution.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Latin for ‘ordinance of the people’, resurrected by Voltaire to describe the referendum in Switzerland. In the nineteenth century, ‘plebiscite’ was used in English as a derogatory term to describe referendums called by Napoleon I and Napoleon III to boost their personal authority, but the term is no longer regarded as derogatory.

For more information on plebiscite, visit Britannica.com.

A vote of an entire nation or other large political unit on an issue of great importance. A plebiscite is not an election, for there are no candidates. Rather, people vote yes or no on a proposition.

n.

A popular vote to ascertain the will of the sovereign.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - folkeafstemning

Nederlands (Dutch)
volksstemming, plebisciet, volksbesluit

Français (French)
n. - plébiscite

Deutsch (German)
n. - Volksabstimmung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δημοψήφισμα

Italiano (Italian)
plebiscito

Português (Portuguese)
n. - plebiscito (m)

Русский (Russian)
плебисцит

Español (Spanish)
n. - plebiscito, referéndum

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - folkomröstning, referendum

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
公民投票, 平民制定法

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 公民投票, 平民制定法

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 국민[일반] 투표

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 国民投票

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) استفتاء عام‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮משאל-עם‬

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