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e·lec·tor·al (ĭ-lĕktər-əl, -lĕk-tôr-)
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adj.
1. Of, relating to, or composed of electors.
2. Of or relating to an election or elections.

e·lector·al·ly adv.

Usage Note: Traditionally, electoral is pronounced with stress on the second syllable, sharing the same pattern as the word electrical. A newer pronunciation has recently emerged, one with the stress on the third syllable, rhyming roughly with floral. (A similar shift has been occurring in the pronunciation of the word doctoral.) In 2013, the Usage Panel substantially favored the traditional pronunciation: 95 percent found it acceptable, and 76 percent preferred it. Only 31 percent found the variant with the stress on the second syllable acceptable, and 24 percent preferred it. If you pronounce electoral with stress on the third syllable, you'll be in good company, but you should know that many people may think you're making a pronunciation error.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.