■ noun
1》 a procedure by which people vote secretly on an issue.
↘( the ~ ) the total number of votes cast in a ~.
2》 a lottery held to decide the allocation of tickets or other things among a number of applicants.
■ verb ( ~s , ~ing , ~ed )
1》 elicit a secret vote from (members of an organization).
↘cast one's vote.
2》 allocate by drawing lots.
Origin
C16 (orig. denoting a small coloured ball placed in a container to register a vote): from Ital. ~ta , dimin. of balla (see ball 1 ).