entry
caucus
/ˈkɔː.kəs/Political meeting to coordinate candidates or policy
From Uncertain; possibly Algonquian, with a competing Medieval Latin route caucus (Political consultation or private party meeting).
from Medieval Latin caucus (“drinking vessel”).
from Medieval Latin caucus (“drinking vessel”).
from Medieval Latin caucus (“drinking vessel”).
Word Ancestry
from Medieval Latin caucus (“drinking vessel”).
from Medieval Latin caucus (“drinking vessel”).
from Medieval Latin caucus (“drinking vessel”).
In 1760s Boston, politics apparently needed a back room—and perhaps a club with a mysterious name. The earliest American evidence gives us caucus in 1763, but nobody can say with confidence where the club’s name came from. One theory points to Algonquian forms such as cawaassough or caucauasu, glossed as “counselor,” “elder,” or “adviser”; another links it to Medieval Latin caucus, “drinking vessel,” perhaps through the Boston Caucus Club. That second possibility creates a wonderfully tavern-like picture: political insiders gathering around cups before deciding whom everyone else should vote for. The famous story that Boston caulkers invented the term is almost certainly folk etymology, but it survives because it sounds exactly like the sort of occupational conspiracy a young democracy might hatch. So caucus remains a word with a locked door at its origin: behind it, advisers—or drinkers—are still arguing.
The Story
In 1760s Boston, politics apparently needed a back room—and perhaps a club with a mysterious name. The earliest American evidence gives us caucus in 1763, but nobody can say with confidence where the club’s name came from. One theory points to Algonquian forms such as cawaassough or caucauasu, glossed as “counselor,” “elder,” or “adviser”; another links it to Medieval Latin caucus, “drinking vessel,” perhaps through the Boston Caucus Club. That second possibility creates a wonderfully tavern-like picture: political insiders gathering around cups before deciding whom everyone else should vote for. The famous story that Boston caulkers invented the term is almost certainly folk etymology, but it survives because it sounds exactly like the sort of occupational conspiracy a young democracy might hatch. So caucus remains a word with a locked door at its origin: behind it, advisers—or drinkers—are still arguing.
Modern Usage
A rowdy round of shots accompanied by shouting “CAUCUS” instead of “cheers”
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entry describing the drinking-game usage
Kin & Kindred
From 'caucus'·Political consultation or private party meeting
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary