referéndum

referendum

noun rreh-feh-REN-doom Rare

Origin: From Latin referendum (that which must be referred).

Usage Note

Referéndum retains the Latin ending and carries a written accent because the stress falls on the penultimate syllable (re-fe-RÉN-dum): the word ends in -m, so the normal rule would otherwise put the stress on the final syllable, and the accent overrides that. It is common in Spain's press and coexists with referendo (id 3575), which the RAE also endorses. The plural referendos (or referéndum used invariably) is a point of variation — referéndums also appears in informal writing.

Examples

"El referéndum fue aprobado por amplia mayoría."

Natural Translation

The referendum was approved by a wide majority.

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