Dictionary

psephism en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsiːfɪzəm/
• /ˈsɛfɪzəm/

Etymology

Ancient Greek ψήφισμα (psḗphisma, “a decree”) from ψηφίζω (psēphízō, “to vote”)

Meanings

1. (historical, qualifier:Ancient Greece) A proposition adopted by a majority of votes, especially by the vote of the Athenian people; a statute.
   • The well-known story of the Spartan psephism quoted by Boethius de musica, via. that the Spartans ordered him to cut off four of his eleven strings […] is contradicted by the present text 1880, John Pentland Mahaffy, History of Classical Greek Literature:
   • No psephism shall pass to the commons before the senate's supervisal. The tablets on which the psephisms are engraved are by no means to be removed. 1694, John Potter, Archaeologica Graeca:

Forms

Synonyms

psephisma