plebiscite
noun/ˈplebɪsaɪt/, /ˈplebɪsɪt/
/ˈplebɪsaɪt/
(politics)- plebiscite (on something) a vote by the people of a country or a region on an issue that is very important synonym referendum
- to hold a plebiscite on the country’s future system of government
Word Originmid 16th cent. (referring to Roman history): from French plébiscite, from Latin plebiscitum, from plebs, pleb- ‘the common people’ + scitum ‘decree’ (from sciscere ‘vote for’). The current sense dates from the mid 19th cent.Want to learn more?
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