urna

urn, ballot box

noun OOR-nah Rare

Origin: From Latin urna, 'water jar, funerary urn'.

Also means

funerary urn

Usage Note

Urna covers two main senses: a funerary urn for ashes, and a ballot box (urna elettorale). The plural urne is commonly used in political reporting to mean 'the polls' ('andare alle urne' = 'to go to the polls'). The connection is the sealed container into which something irreversible is placed.

Examples

"I cittadini si recano alle urne domani."

Natural Translation

Citizens go to the polls tomorrow.

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