veto

noun BEH-toh Rare

Origin: From Latin veto ('I forbid'), first-person singular present of vetare.

Usage Note

Veto entered Spanish directly from Latin and retains its legal/political sense: the power to block a decision. The verb is vetar ('to veto'). In the UN context, el derecho de veto refers to the permanent members' blocking power. It is regular in the plural: los vetos.

Examples

"El presidente ejerció su derecho de veto."

Natural Translation

The president exercised his right of veto.

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