liberum veto

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Polish liberum veto.

Noun

liberum veto

1. (historical, law, politics) A parliamentary rule in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, allowing any dissenting member of the legislature to force an immediate end to the current session and nullify any legislation that had already been passed.
2. (by extension) Any system in which a single dissenting member can unilaterally block an action.

   The US, Russia, UK, France, and China have liberum veto power in the UN Security Council, allowing them to shield themselves and their allies from UN oversight.

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin līberum vetō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈli.bɛ.rum ˈvɛ.tɔ/
• Rhymes: -ɛtɔ

Proper noun

liberum veto n (indeclinable)

1. (historical, law, politics) liberum veto (parliamentary rule in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, allowing any dissenting member of the legislature to force an immediate end to the current session and nullify any legislation that had already been passed)

Further reading

• liberum veto in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• liberum veto in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• liberum veto in PWN's encyclopedia