# referendum

Pronunciation: US say "ref-uh-REN-duhm" /ˌɹɛfəˈɹɛndəm/; UK

## Noun

1. A direct vote by the public on a proposed law or constitutional amendment.
   - Simple: A public vote where people decide on a new law or a change to the constitution.
   - _The government called a referendum on the proposed constitutional amendment._
   - _Several referendums on electoral reform failed to reach the required turnout._
2. An action, choice, or event that is perceived as passing judgment on some separate matter.
   - Simple: An action or choice that people see as a way of judging something else.
   - _Commentators framed the special election as a referendum on the governor's economic policy._
   - _Her resignation was widely read as a referendum on the board's leadership._

## Origin

From the Latin referendum, 'that which ought to be announced', which comes from the verb refero, 'I announce'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/referendum (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).