/ ˈsʌfrɪdʒ; NAmE / noun
[ U ] the right to vote in political elections :
universal suffrage (= the right of all adults to vote)
women's suffrage
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense prayers said for others , also assistance ): from Latin suffragium , reinforced by French suffrage . The modern sense of right to vote was originally US (dating from the late 18th cent.).