*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of vote

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *h₁wogʷʰéyeti Proto-Italic *woɣʷeō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Proto-Italic *woɣʷet

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To cast a vote; to assert a formalized choice in an election. · To choose or grant (some objective) by means of a vote, or by general consent. · To exercise one's voting right upon (a ballot or a share of stock).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *h₁wogʷʰéyeti Proto-Italic *woɣʷeō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Proto-Italic *woɣʷetos Proto-Italic *wowitos Latin vōtusnom. Latin vōtumder. English vote From Latin vōtum, a form of voveō (“to vow”) (cognate with Ancient Greek εὔχομαι (eúkhomai, “to vow”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ- (“to promise, to vow”). Doublet of vow.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:vōtum",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ-\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nProto-Indo-European *h₁wogʷʰéyeti\nProto-Italic *woɣʷeō\nProto-Indo-European *-tós\nProto-Italic *-tos\nProto-Italic *woɣʷetos\nProto-Italic *wowitos\nLatin vōtusnom.\nLatin vōtumder.\nEnglish vote\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"nom.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Nominalization of\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*wowitos\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*woɣʷetos\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"promise\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁wegʷʰ-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"causative suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"forming verbs\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yeti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éyeti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁wogʷʰéyeti\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*woɣʷeō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-tos\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"vōtus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"nominalization\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"vōtum\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"vote\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"vote\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "vōtum"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin vōtum"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "εὔχομαι",
        "t": "to vow"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek εὔχομαι (eúkhomai, “to vow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₁wegʷʰ-",
        "t": "to promise, to vow"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ- (“to promise, to vow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "vow"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of vow"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:vōtum",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ-\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nProto-Indo-European *h₁wogʷʰéyeti\nProto-Italic *woɣʷeō\nProto-Indo-European *-tós\nProto-Italic *-tos\nProto-Italic *woɣʷetos\nProto-Italic *wowitos\nLatin vōtusnom.\nLatin vōtumder.\nEnglish vote"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₁wegʷʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁wegʷʰ-#Proto-Indo-European:_promise"
    ],
    [
      "*-yeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yeti#Proto-Indo-European:_forming_verbs"
    ],
    [
      "*-éyeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éyeti#Proto-Indo-European:_causative_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁wogʷʰéyeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁wogʷʰéyeti"
    ],
    [
      "*woɣʷeō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/woɣʷeō"
    ],
    [
      "*-tós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-tós#Proto-Indo-European:_verbal_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-tos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-tos"
    ],
    [
      "vōtus",
      "votus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "vōtum",
      "votum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "vōtum",
      "votum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "voveō",
      "voveo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "εὔχομαι",
      "εὔχομαι#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁wegʷʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁wegʷʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "vow",
      "vow#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Tok Pisin",
      "lang_code": "tpi",
      "word": "vot",
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Rotokas",
          "lang_code": "roo",
          "word": "votu",
          "raw_tags": [
            "borrowed"
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To cast a vote; to assert a formalized choice in an election.",
        "To choose or grant (some objective) by means of a vote, or by general consent.",
        "To exercise one's voting right upon (a ballot or a share of stock)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "65e2697e4a0b03f9114c2e3873f9c66a55f2535bdfb8760866371400f88f291d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 40190
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A formalized choice on legally relevant measures such as employment or appointment to office or a proceeding about a legal dispute. · An act or instance of participating in such a choice, e.g., by submitting a ballot. · An ardent wish or desire; a vow; a prayer. · A formalized petition or request.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *h₁wogʷʰéyeti Proto-Italic *woɣʷeō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Proto-Italic *woɣʷetos Proto-Italic *wowitos Latin vōtusnom. Latin vōtumder. English vote From Latin vōtum, a form of voveō (“to vow”) (cognate with Ancient Greek εὔχομαι (eúkhomai, “to vow”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ- (“to promise, to vow”). Doublet of vow.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:vōtum",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ-\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nProto-Indo-European *h₁wogʷʰéyeti\nProto-Italic *woɣʷeō\nProto-Indo-European *-tós\nProto-Italic *-tos\nProto-Italic *woɣʷetos\nProto-Italic *wowitos\nLatin vōtusnom.\nLatin vōtumder.\nEnglish vote\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"nom.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Nominalization of\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*wowitos\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*woɣʷetos\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"promise\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁wegʷʰ-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"causative suffix\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"forming verbs\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-yeti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-éyeti\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁wogʷʰéyeti\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*woɣʷeō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-tos\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"vōtus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"nominalization\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"vōtum\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"vote\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"vote\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "vōtum"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin vōtum"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "εὔχομαι",
        "t": "to vow"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek εὔχομαι (eúkhomai, “to vow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₁wegʷʰ-",
        "t": "to promise, to vow"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ- (“to promise, to vow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "vow"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of vow"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:vōtum",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ-\nProto-Indo-European *-yeti\nProto-Indo-European *-éyeti\nProto-Indo-European *h₁wogʷʰéyeti\nProto-Italic *woɣʷeō\nProto-Indo-European *-tós\nProto-Italic *-tos\nProto-Italic *woɣʷetos\nProto-Italic *wowitos\nLatin vōtusnom.\nLatin vōtumder.\nEnglish vote"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₁wegʷʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁wegʷʰ-#Proto-Indo-European:_promise"
    ],
    [
      "*-yeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-yeti#Proto-Indo-European:_forming_verbs"
    ],
    [
      "*-éyeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-éyeti#Proto-Indo-European:_causative_suffix"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁wogʷʰéyeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁wogʷʰéyeti"
    ],
    [
      "*woɣʷeō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/woɣʷeō"
    ],
    [
      "*-tós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-tós#Proto-Indo-European:_verbal_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-tos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-tos"
    ],
    [
      "vōtus",
      "votus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "vōtum",
      "votum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "vōtum",
      "votum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "voveō",
      "voveo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "εὔχομαι",
      "εὔχομαι#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁wegʷʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁wegʷʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "vow",
      "vow#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "word": "vote",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Haitian Creole",
          "lang_code": "ht",
          "word": "vòt"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Mauritian Creole",
          "lang_code": "mfe",
          "word": "vot"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "lang_code": "ro",
          "word": "vot",
          "raw_tags": [
            "borrowed"
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tamil",
      "lang_code": "ta",
      "word": "ஓட்டு",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "ōṭṭu"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tamil",
      "lang_code": "ta",
      "word": "வோட்டு",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed",
        "less common"
      ],
      "roman": "vōṭṭu"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Telugu",
      "lang_code": "te",
      "word": "వోటు",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "vōṭu"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "lang_code": "cy",
      "word": "fôt",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A formalized choice on legally relevant measures such as employment or appointment to office or a proceeding about a legal dispute.",
        "An act or instance of participating in such a choice, e.g., by submitting a ballot.",
        "An ardent wish or desire; a vow; a prayer.",
        "A formalized petition or request."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "38c1cabd2a2377cd21dab6c0673fced094ad3782e374f9c2abcb80342862f6bc",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fd8b1034632473bf212a9da0f3470476b8bbb8da195389a49d4121fb095faa16",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 40189
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 3,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for vote →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dm90ZQ