Meanings
- uncountableThe predictive or statistical study of elections.First known use 1952
It therefore seems appropriate to preface this book with a discussion of why elections merit study and an examination of how much has been or can be learnt from psephology.
1952, D. E. Butler, The British general election of 1951 - uncountableAn ancient Greek method of numerology, similar to gematria.
The numbers 99, 88, and 22 seem to belong to some system of mystic psephology, Or gematria as the Kabbalists afterwards called it.
1924, George Robert Stow Mead, Gnostic John the Baptizer: Selections from the Mandæan John-Book, Together with Studies on John and Christian Origins, the Slavonic Josephus' Account of John and Jesus and the Fourth Gospel Proem, →ISBN2 more examples
Let us first see how the matter of this letter-numbering or psephology stands generally. The authors think that both the Greek and Hebrew method derive from a common source. But there is no proof of this; indeed the weak point in the whole of this exposition is that they entirely neglect the historical side of the matter and give no references.
1917, The Quest – Volume 8, Part 2, page 698What I want to point out here is that there is a considerable breadth of numerological practices, ranging from psephology/gematria through to practices close to mathematical physics which are deemed to be too much driven by mathematical or aesthetic considerations.
2013, Andrew Gregory, The Presocratics and the Supernatural, →ISBN
Origin
- Ancient Greekψῆφος (psêphos)
- Englishpseph-
- Englishpsepho-
- Proto-Indo-European*leǵ-
- Proto-Indo-European*lóǵos
- Proto-Hellenic*lógos
- Ancient Greekλόγος (lógos)
- Englishpsephology
From psepho- (“pebble”) + -ology (“study of”), drawing on the various definitions of Ancient Greek ψῆφος (psêphos, “pebble used for reckoning; pebble used for casting a vote”). The sense relating to elections was coined in 1948 by Frank Hardie.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch psefologie, bestudering van het kiezersgedrag
- psefologiethe predictive or statistical study of elections
- bestudering van het kiezersgedragthe predictive or statistical study of elections
Finnish vaalitutkimus, psepologia
- vaalitutkimusthe predictive or statistical study of elections
- psepologiathe predictive or statistical study of elections
French pséphologie
- pséphologiethe predictive or statistical study of elections
German Psephologie
- Psephologiethe predictive or statistical study of elections
Italian psefologia
- psefologiathe predictive or statistical study of elections
Persian انتخاباتپژوهی
- انتخاباتپژوهی (entexâbât-pažuhi)the predictive or statistical study of elections
Russian псефология
- псефология (psefologija)the predictive or statistical study of elections
Spanish psefología
- psefologíathe predictive or statistical study of elections
Thai วิทยาการเลือกตั้ง
- วิทยาการเลือกตั้ง (wít-tá-yaa-gaan-lʉ̂ʉak-dtâng)the predictive or statistical study of elections
Cite this entry
psephology. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psephology
“psephology.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psephology. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “psephology,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psephology.
Source: psephology on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.