From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Referendum \Ref'er*en"dum\ (r?f'?r*?n"d?m), noun; pl. {-da} [Gerundive fr. L. referre. See {Refer}.]
1. A diplomatic agent's note asking for instructions from his government concerning a particular matter or point.
2. The right to approve or reject by popular vote a meassure passed upon by a legislature.
3. The principle or practice of referring measures passed upon by the legislative body to the body of voters, or electorate, for approval or rejection, as in the Swiss cantons (except Freiburg) and in various local governments in the United States, and also in the local option laws, etc.; also, the right to so approve or reject laws, or the vote by which this is done. Referendum is distinguished from the mandate, or instruction of representatives by the people, from direct government by the people, in which they initiate and make the laws by direct action without representation, and from a plebiscite, or popular vote taken on any measure proposed by a person or body having the initiative but not constituting a representative or constituent body. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: a legislative act is referred for final approval to a popular vote by the electorate [also: {referenda} (pl)]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
83 Moby Thesaurus words for "referendum": Australian ballot, Hare system, aye, ballot, by-election, canvass, canvassing, casting vote, caucus, closed primary, congressional election, constitutional referendum, contested election, counting heads, cumulative voting, deciding vote, direct initiative, direct primary, division, election, enfranchisement, facultative referendum, fagot vote, franchise, general election, graveyard vote, hand vote, indirect initiative, initiative, list system, mandate, mandatory primary, mandatory referendum, nay, no, nonpartisan primary, nontransferable vote, open primary, optional primary, partisan election, plebiscite, plebiscitum, plumper, plural vote, poll, polling, preference primary, preferential voting, presidential election, presidential preference primary, presidential primary, primary, primary election, proportional representation, proxy, recall, record vote, representation, right to vote, rising vote, runoff, runoff election, runoff primary, say, secret ballot, show of hands, single vote, snap vote, statutory referendum, straw vote, suffrage, transferable vote, viva voce, voice, voice vote, vote, voting, voting right, write-in, write-in vote, yea, yeas and nays, yes
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
REFERENDUM, noun A law for submission of proposed legislation to a popular vote to learn the nonsensus of public opinion.
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