Word of the day: Suffrage

Learn some of the most interesting English words from The South African’s WORD OF THE DAY!

If you are a wordsmith or want to learn a new word to impress that special someone, this content is for you!

Today’s word of the day is:

Suffrage

Suffrage means “the right to vote in an election.

Pronunciation: [SUF-rij]

Why would a 17th-century writer warn people that a chapel was only for “private or secret suffrages”? Because suffrage has been used since the 14th century to mean “prayer” (especially a prayer requesting divine help or intercession). So how did suffrage come to mean “a vote” or “the right to vote”? In answering that question, we get a lesson about the ways Latin words enter English. The Latin word suffrāgium has a number of vote-related meanings, including “a vote cast in an assembly” and “the right to vote.

Example: The Nineteenth Amendment, which granted suffrage to women, was certified on August 26, 1920, making it an official part of the Constitution of the United States.

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