Etymograph

English

psephism

Psephism comes from Ancient Greek ψήφισμα ‘a decree’, from ψηφίζω ‘to vote’, and ultimately from ψῆφος ‘a pebble’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEψῆφος1‘a pebble’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEψηφίζω2psēphízō‘to vote’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEψήφισμα2psḗphisma‘a decree’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1694psephism2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ψηφίζω
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English psephism
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1694, John Potter: “No psephism shall pass to the commons before the…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEψῆφοςWiktionary, Ancient Greek ψηφίζω‘a pebble’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEψηφίζωWiktionary, English psephismpsēphízō‘to vote’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEψήφισμαWiktionary, English psephismpsḗphisma‘a decree’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1694psephismWiktionary, English psephism. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1694, John Potter: “No psephism shall pass to the commons before the…”

Every English word from Ancient Greek ψῆφος

Today it means

noun A proposition adopted by a majority of votes, especially by the vote of the Athenian people; a statute.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “psephism”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek ψηφίζω. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek ψῆφος / psephism

Shirt and support for this word