ラテン語の suffragium, vote, suffrage, support, suffragari, to vote, to give support, from sub, under, up, -frag, to break open, fragment, 語源的にはbreak, fragmentと同じ。割れたタイルや骨の破片で投票する古代ギリシャ?ローマの習慣から。割れた骨片で追放票を投じるostracismと比較される。
英語の語源
suffrage (n.)
late 14c., "intercessory prayers or pleas on behalf of another," from Old French sofrage "plea, intercession" (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin suffragium, from Latin suffragium "support, ballot, vote; right of voting; a voting tablet," from suffragari "lend support, vote for someone," conjectured to be a compound of sub "under" (see sub-) + fragor "crash, din, shouts (as of approval)," related to frangere "to break" (see fraction). On another theory (Watkins, etc.) the second element is frangere itself and the notion is "use a broken piece of tile as a ballot" (compare ostracism). Meaning "a vote for or against anything" is from 1530s. The meaning "political right to vote" in English is first found in the U.S. Constitution, 1787.
例文
1. She was active in the Society for Women 's Suffrage .
彼女は婦人選挙権協会の獲得に積極的に活動している。
2.The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance.
婦人参政の問題で彼らは口論になった。
3.When was universal suffrage introduced in your country？
貴国はいつ普通選挙権を実行しましたか。
4.He was an advocate of universal suffrage as a basis for social equality.
彼は普通選挙権を提唱し、これが社会公平の基礎だと考えている。
5.Between 1890 and 1930 the woman suffrage movement became exceedingly militant.