English edit

Etymology edit

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

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈsiːfɪzəm/, /ˈsɛfɪzəm/

Noun edit

psephism (plural psephisms)

  1. (historical, Ancient Greece) A proposition adopted by a majority of votes, especially by the vote of the Athenian people; a statute.
    Synonym: psephisma
    • 1694, John Potter, Archaeologica Graeca:
      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.
    • 1880, John Pentland Mahaffy, History of Classical Greek Literature:
      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