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A.Word.A.Day--enfranchise

enfranchise (en-FRAN-chyz) verb tr.

1. To bestow a franchise on.

2. To endow with the rights of citizenship, especially the right to vote.

3. To free, as from bondage.

[Middle English enfraunchisen, from Old French enfranchir, enfranchiss-, to set free : en-, intensive pref + franchir (from franc, free).]

"I wondered what could be done to genuinely enfranchise those who feel most excluded from the voting process. Certainly voter registration is a place to begin." Nancy Nienhuis, Why Don't We Vote?, Sojourner: The Women's Forum, Nov 30, 1992.

This week's theme: words about government, politics, and elections.

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