Etymology Map
Back to all words

Ballot

3 stages from Italian to English.

Today it means a process of voting in writing and in secret

Where does the word "ballot" come from? It comes from Italian palla, passing through Italian before entering English (1540s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
palla
Italian · medieval
"ball"
a ball
2
Stage 2 of 3
ballotta
Italian · 1500s
"voting ball"
'little ball': Venice's councils voted by dropping small balls into urns, especially when electing the Doge
3
Stage 3 of 3
ballot
English · 1540s
"vote"
Britain's Ballot Act of 1872 introduced the secret ballot
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Ballot’s story begins in Italian: palla meant “ball.” A ball. Within Italian, it grew into ballotta by 1500s. 'little ball': Venice's councils voted by dropping small balls into urns, especially when electing the Doge. It reached English by 1540s as ballot. Britain's Ballot Act of 1872 introduced the secret ballot. Today, ballot means a process of voting in writing and in secret.