ballot

English
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

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
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈbælət/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈbælət/
  • Audio (AU)(file)
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • Hyphenation: bal‧lot
  • Rhymes: -ælət

Noun

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

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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.

Deried terms

Translations

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

Further reading

French

Etymology

From balle +‎ -ot.

Pronunciation
  • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -o

Noun

ballot m (plural ballots)

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

Derived terms
  • C’est ballot

Further reading

Northern Sami

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

Verb

ballot

  1. first-person plural imperative of ballat
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