Word of the Day : November 5, 2024
Psephology
noun see-FAH-luh-jee
What It Means
- Psephology is the scientific study of elections.
- // Brianna was excited to learn that a course on psephology on the schedule for next semester will coincide with local and state elections.
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PSEPHOLOGY In Context
“The high school-aged participants of the program partake in various aspects of psephology, from gaining support early in a campaign to debating fellow candidates.” — James Barberis, The Tallahassee (Florida) Democrat, 28 Sept. 2020
Did You Know?
Psephology comes from the Greek word “psēphos,” meaning “pebble.” (One relative of psephology is psephomancy, meaning “divination by pebbles.”) Psephology merited election as the name for the work of election analysts, or psephologists, because pebbles were used by the ancient Greeks in voting. Similarly, the word ballot was an excellent choice for a means of voting since it comes from ballotta, an Italian word meaning “little ball,” and Italians once voted by placing such balls in a container.
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