the.com/referendum
democracy's nuclear button, pressed by people who skipped the manual.
means A direct public vote in which the whole electorate decides a single political question, rather than leaving it to their representatives.
from Straight from Latin, where 'referendum' literally means 'something to be referred back' — the gerundive of 'referre,' 'to carry back' (from 're-', 'back,' plus 'ferre,' 'to carry'). The idea is of a question carried back to the people for their say, and the word entered English in the 19th century by way of Swiss practice, where such votes were a fixture of governance.
- swiss habit
- Switzerland holds several national referendums every single year
- brexit math
- 52% reshaped a nation by under four points
- latin roots
- Means a thing that must be carried back
- banned tool
- Some constitutions forbid them on basic rights entirely
- plural fight
- Referendums or referenda? Latinists still argue bitterly
brexit referendum — uk vote on eu membership, 52% voted leave on june 23, 2016
swiss minaret referendum — switzerland banned construction of minarets, 57.5% voted yes in 2009