caucus
/ˈkoːkəs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.58 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A usually preliminary meeting of party members to nominate candidates for public office or delegates to be sent to a nominating convention, or to confer regarding policy.
Canadian usage; American usage; Archaic
noun
A grouping of all the members of a legislature from the same party.
Canadian usage; American usage; Archaic
noun
A political interest group by members of a legislative body.
Canadian usage; American usage; Archaic
Example Sentences
- "He conferred with Mr. Warren of Plymouth upon the necessity of giving into spirited measures, and then said, "Do you keep the committee in play, and I will go and make a caucus against the evening; and do you meet me.""
- "Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut said yesterday that he will caucus with Senate Democrats in the new Congress, but he would not rule out switching to the Republican caucus if he starts to feel uncomfortable among Democrats."
- "The diehard Republicans of Kansas caucused today and delivered a big victory for Mike Huckabee, McCain's remaining serious challenger."
- "Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Doug Jones of Alabama and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona voted with Republicans against the measure, as did Sen. Angus King of Maine, an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats."
- "Guardian Australia understands the Liberal states have caucused, and they want the newly elected Morrison government to reboot the Neg, or something very like it."
- "The protesters caucused nearby to discuss demands."
Etymology
Unknown. Often claimed to be from an Algonquian language; transcribed words such as cawaassough and caucauasu meaning "counselor, elder, adviser" appear in early texts. A popular folk etymology attested in Great Leaders and National Issues of 1896 stated: "In the early part of the eighteenth century a number of caulkers connected with the shipping business in the North End of Boston held a meeting for consultation. That meeting was the germ of the political caucuses which have formed so prominent a feature of our government ever since its organization." American Heritage Dictionary states the term is taken from the Caucus Club of Boston in the 1760s, possibly from Medieval Latin caucus (“drinking vessel”).
Word Breakdown
- Root: caucus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkoːkəs/
- British English: /ˈkɔːkəs/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Synonyms
parliamentary group