Voted

How to spell voted

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce voted

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does voted mean?

1. verbFormally expressed a choice or preference, as in an election or a meeting.

Voted in a sentence

• She voted for the candidate who promised lower taxes.

• The committee voted to approve the new budget.

Where does voted come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the past tense of 'vote', which comes from the Latin votum, meaning 'a vow' or 'a solemn wish or promise made to a god'. That noun came from vovere, 'to vow or pledge', so the earliest sense was deeply religious rather than political. English took the word up in the 1400s and 1500s, first in the sense of an earnest wish or prayer, and only later in the now-familiar meaning of formally expressing a choice in an election or assembly. The shift makes sense once you notice that a vote is essentially a declared wish about an outcome. The same votum root survives in 'votive', as in a votive candle lit to accompany a vow, which is a handy reminder that the spelling keeps a single 't' before the regular '-ed' ending.

How the word is built

• vot- (from Latin votum: a vow, wish)
• -ed (past tense suffix)