Plebiscite (noun)

1. A direct vote by the citizens of a country to approve or reject a specific proposal, such as a change to the constitution, a political issue, or a treaty.
2. A general vote by the public on a specific issue or political question.

Origin:

The word 'plebiscite' comes from the latin word 'plebiscitus' which means a decree of the people. it originally referred to a direct vote by the people in ancient rome.

Examples:

1. The government called a plebiscite to ask the citizens of the country if they wanted to adopt a new constitution.
2. The outcome of the plebiscite was decisive and showed strong support for the proposal.
3. The plebiscite was seen as an important moment in the country's political history.
4. The government decided to hold a plebiscite to gauge public opinion on the proposed policy change.
5. The results of the plebiscite will be used to inform future policy decisions and guide the government's response to the issue.