plebiscite
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plebiscite
- /ˈplɛbɪsaɪt/ UK
- /-sɪt/ UK
- /ˈplɛbəˌsaɪt/ US
Where it comes from
Sense 1 (“referendum”) is borrowed from French plébiscite, from Latin plēbiscītum, plēbis scītum, plēbī scītum (“law of the common people or plebs”), from plēbis (the genitive singular of plēbs (“common people, plebeians”)) + scītum (“decree, ordinance, statute”).
Sense 3 (“law enacted by the common people”) is a learned borrowing from Latin plēbiscītum: see above. It is attested earlier than English plebiscitum.
Cognates
* Italian plebiscito
* Middle French plebiscite (modern French plébiscite)
* Middle Low German plebiscīt (“ordinance”)
* Spanish plebiscito, plebisçito (obsolete)
noun plebiscites
-
A direct popular vote on an issue of public importance, such as an amendment to the constitution, a change in the sovereignty of the nation, or some government policy.
A political result, we may also say aim, of the frumentarian plebiscite of Gaius was to disattach the city populace from its conservative moorings and to enlist it in the service of reform.
Similar: referendum
- An expression of the public's views on an issue, whether legally binding or not.
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Synonym of plebiscitum (“a law enacted by the common people, under the superintendence of a tribune or some subordinate plebeian magistrate, without the intervention of the senate”).
Similar: plebiscitum
Translations
Every language
noun direct popular vote on an issue of public importance — see also referendum
| Español | plebiscito |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 국민투표 gungmintupyo |
| 日本語 | 国民投票 kokumin-tōhyō |
| 中文 | 公民投票 gōngmín tóupiào, 公投 gōngtóu |
| हिन्दी | जनमतसंग्रह janmatsaṅgrah, जनमत-संग्रह janmat-saṅgrah, रायशुमारी rāyśumārī, राय-शुमारी rāy-śumārī |
| Português | plebiscito |
| Français | plébiscite |
| Deutsch | Plebiszit, Volksabstimmung |
| Italiano | plebiscito |
| Ελληνικά | δημοψήφισμα dimopsífisma |
| Română | plebiscit |
| Русский | плебисци́т plebiscít, рефере́ндум referéndum |
| עברית | משאל עם mish'ál 'ám |
Talk about this word "plebiscite." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/plebiscite. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. plebiscite. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/plebiscite "plebiscite." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/plebiscite.Cite this
@misc{plebiscite_2026,
title = {plebiscite},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/plebiscite},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
