enfranchise
en-FRAN-chyz
/ɪnˈfrænˌtʃaɪz/
To give the right to vote to a person or group of people.
Focuses on the active legislative or societal process of granting legal voting power to previously excluded groups.
The story behind the word. Formed from Old French 'enfranchir' (to liberate or make free). To 'enfranchise' someone in medieval Europe meant setting a serf or bondman free from servitude. As voting became the defining mark of a free citizen, the term evolved to mean granting voting rights.
Word relationships
- empower: 'Empower' is a broader term for giving authority or power; 'enfranchise' specifically means bestowing voting rights.
- disenfranchise: To deprive someone of the right to vote or take away their civic rights.
Commonly confused with
- franchise: 'Franchise' is the noun representing the voting right; 'enfranchise' is the verb action of granting that right.
Word family
- enfranchisement (noun): The granting of a right or privilege, especially the vote.
- disenfranchise (verb): To deprive of voting rights.
Collocations
- enfranchise voters
- fully enfranchise
- enfranchise young adults
Example sentences
- "New legislative measures were enacted to enfranchise newly arrived immigrants." Legislative debate
- "The Voting Rights Act aimed to fully enfranchise minority citizens who faced discriminatory voting barriers." Historical analysis
Memory hook
EN (make) + FRANCHISE (free voter): Make someone into a free voter. Giving someone the official key to the voting booth.
When not to use
Do not use for informal granting of rights or permissions outside civic and legal voting contexts.
Fun facts
- When South Africa held its first fully democratic election in 1994, millions of Black citizens were officially enfranchised for the very first time.
Related words
Explore more words
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.