Wiktionary

ballot

English

edit
WOTD – 6 November 2016
 
An early ballot box in which balls were used to cast the ballots. This box, once used by the Association of the Oldest Inhabitants of the District of Columbia, a social club, is in the collection of the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., USA.

Etymology

edit

Borrowed from Italian balota (obsolete), ballotta (“small ball, especially one used to register a vote”), from balla (“bale, bundle”) + -otta (suffix forming diminutive nouns); or from Middle French balote (obsolete), ballotte (“small ball used to register a vote”) (also compare Middle French balotiage, French ballottage (“second ballot, runoff”)); both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *ballu (“ball”).

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

ballot (plural ballots)

  1. Originally, a small ball placed in a container to cast a vote; now, by extension, a piece of paper or card used for this purpose, or some other means used to signify a vote.
  2. The process of voting, especially in secret; a round of voting.
    • July 1836, A. B. (initials of author), London and Westminster Review Article XI, Bribery and Intimidation at Elections
      the insufficiency of the ballot
    • 2023 March 9, Mel Holley, “TSSA accepts offer, but RMT sets new strike dates”, in RAIL, number 978, page 11:
      In the TSSA ballot, 80% of management grade and 60% of general grade members voted to accept, on an overall turnout of 57%.
  3. The total of all the votes cast in an election.
  4. (chiefly US) A list of candidates running for office; a ticket.

Synonyms

edit

Derived terms

edit

Translations

edit

Verb

edit

ballot (third-person singular simple present ballots, present participle balloting, simple past and past participle balloted)

  1. (intransitive) To vote or decide by ballot.
    to ballot for a candidate
  2. (intransitive) To draw lots.
  3. (transitive) To invite to vote on a proposal.
    The trade union balloted its members for strike action.

Derived terms

edit

Translations

edit

See also

edit
  • blackballing (also derived from the old practice of using balls to vote)

Further reading

edit

French

edit

Etymology

edit

From balle +‎ -ot.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

ballot m (plural ballots)

  1. bundle, package
  2. (informal, derogatory) fool, nitwit

Derived terms

edit

Further reading

edit

Northern Sami

edit

Pronunciation

edit
  • (Kautokeino) IPA(key): /ˈpalloh(t)/

Verb

edit

ballot

  1. first-person plural imperative of ballat
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=ballot&oldid=83120425"
  NODES
Association 1
Note 1