Word of the Day - 09/30/25
enfranchise
/ɛn'frænʧaɪz/(v.): grant freedom to; as from slavery or servitude
The Emancipation Proclamation sought to enfranchise millions of enslaved people in the Confederate states.
(v.): grant voting rights
The Nineteenth Amendment helped to enfranchise women across the United States.
Word Origin
The word 'enfranchise' comes from Old French 'enfranchir', meaning 'to set free'. This is formed from the prefix 'en-' (meaning 'in, into, to make, to cause to be') and 'franchir' (to free). 'Franchir' itself derives from 'franc', meaning 'free' (from Late Latin 'francus', referring to the Franks, who were a free people). Therefore, 'enfranchise' literally means 'to make free' or 'to grant a right or privilege'.
Words with similar origins include 'franchise' (the right or privilege itself), 'frank' (meaning open or honest, originally referring to a free person's speech), and 'disenfranchise' (to deprive of a right or privilege).