psepho-, pseph- (Greek > Latin: pebble/pebbles, stone/stones; election; vote).To cast one's vote with a pebble, to count, reckon; from small stone, pebble [used in counting or voting]. Pebbles were used in ancient Greece for casting votes, and so psephos came to metaphorically mean, "vote". isopsephic, isopsephism:
Of equal numerical value; said of words in which the numerical values of the letters (according to the ancient Greek notation) made up the same amount; from iso-, equal + psephos, pebble, counter.
psephism:
A decree enacted by a vote of a public assembly, especially of the Athenians.
psephite, psephitic:
A conglomerate composed of pebbles or small rounded stones.
psephocrat:
An elected ruler, or an adherent or supporter of government by election.
psephocracy:
The form of government that results from an election by ballot; representative government.
psephograph:
A machine for the automatic recording of votes.
psephologist, psephological, psephologically:
A political scientist who specializes in the study of elections; an electoral analyst or commentator.
psephology:
1. The study of voting patterns.
2. The study of public elections, and statistical analysis of trends in voting; loosely, the prediction of electoral results. psephomancy:
Divination by pebble-stones, distinguished by certain characters, and put as lots into a vessel; which, having made certain supplications to the gods to direct them, they drew out, and according to the characters, conjectured what should happen to them.
psephomantist:
One who uses stones-pebbles to divine the future.
|