caucus
caucus Lexical Profile
caucus Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A closed meeting of the members of a political party or legislative body to select candidates, plan strategy, or decide on policy.
"Party leaders called an emergency caucus to resolve disagreements over the proposed budget bill."
A group of legislators or people with shared political, demographic, or ideological interests who unite within a larger organization to promote a common cause.
"The bipartisan environmental caucus introduced new legislation aimed at protecting coastal wetlands."
American A local gathering of registered party members in certain U.S. states to publicly deliberate and vote for preferred presidential or party nominees, serving as an alternative to a primary election.
"Candidates spent months campaigning across rural counties ahead of the state's closely watched presidential caucus."
• verb
North American To hold or participate in a political caucus, or to meet privately as a group to make decisions and coordinate strategy.
"The committee members recessed for an hour to caucus privately before casting their final votes."
• Rhymes for caucus
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in mid-18th-century Boston in the name of the "Caucus Club," a political association. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, though it is commonly thought to derive either from an Algonquian word meaning "counselor" or "elder" (akin to Powhatan *caucauasu*) or from Medieval Latin *caucus* (a drinking vessel), in reference to convivial club meetings.