filibuster

filibuster
filibusterer, n.filibusterism, n.filibusterous, adj.
/fil"euh bus'teuhr/, n.
1. U.S. Politics.
a. the use of irregular or obstructive tactics by a member of a legislative assembly to prevent the adoption of a measure generally favored or to force a decision against the will of the majority.
b. an exceptionally long speech, as one lasting for a day or days, or a series of such speeches to accomplish this purpose.
c. a member of a legislature who makes such a speech.
2. an irregular military adventurer, esp. one who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution.
v.i.
3. U.S. Politics. to impede legislation by irregular or obstructive tactics, esp. by making long speeches.
4. to act as an irregular military adventurer, esp. for revolutionary purposes.
v.t.
5. U.S. Politics. to impede (legislation) by irregular or obstructive tactics, esp. by making long speeches.
[1580-90; < Sp filibustero < MF flibustier, var. of FRIBUSTIER; see FREEBOOTER]

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Tactic of delaying action on a bill by talking long enough to wear down the majority in order to win concessions or force withdrawal of the bill.

The tactic is normally employed by a group that cannot muster enough votes to defeat a bill by vote. Filibustering is possible in the U.S. Senate because Senate rules allow unlimited debate on a bill. A filibuster may be carried out by a group or a single member, and the speech need not be related to the bill under discussion. Calling for a vote to limit debate (cloture)
which requires 60 votes, the votes of three-fifths of the entire membership, in the U.S. Senate
or holding around-the-clock sessions to tire the speakers are measures used to defeat filibusters.

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▪ parliamentary tactic
      in legislative practice, the parliamentary tactic used in the United States Senate by a minority of the senators—sometimes even a single senator—to delay or prevent parliamentary action by talking so long that the majority either grants concessions or withdraws the bill.

      Unlike the House of Representatives (Representatives, House of), in which rules limit speaking time, the Senate allows unlimited debate on a bill. Speeches can be completely irrelevant to the issue.

      The word is derived from the Spanish filibustero (“freebooting”) and originally described piratical 16th-century privateers; it came into English usage to designate any irregular military adventurer, such as the Americans who took part in Latin-American insurrections in the 1850s. Filibuster was in use in the political sense by the mid-1800s. In 1957 Senator Strom Thurmond (Thurmond, Strom) of South Carolina talked for more than 24 hours, the longest individual filibuster on record, as part of an unsuccessful attempt by Southern senators to obstruct civil-rights legislation.

      Invoking cloture on debate (i.e., limiting or ending a debate by calling for a vote) and holding round-the-clock sessions to tire the minority are measures used to defeat a filibuster.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • filibuster — fil·i·bus·ter 1 / fi lə ˌbəs tər/ n: the use of extreme dilatory tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action esp. in a legislative assembly; also: an instance of this practice filibuster 2 vb tered, ter·ing vi: to engage in a filibuster vt:… …   Law dictionary

  • filibuster — FILIBÚSTER s.n. Practică constând în rostirea de discursuri interminabile, folosite în Congresul S.U.a. de cei care încercau să împiedice adoptarea unor legi nedorite. [cf. engl. fleeboster, germ. Filibuster]. Trimis de LauraGellner, 25.03.2005.… …   Dicționar Român

  • filibuster — [fil′i bus΄tər] n. [Sp filibustero < Fr flibustier, earlier fribustier < MDu vrijbuiter, FREEBOOTER] 1. an adventurer who engages in unauthorized warfare against a country with which his own country is at peace; specif., any of the 19th… …   English World dictionary

  • Filibuster — Fil i*bus*ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Fillibustered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Filibustering}.] 1. To act as a filibuster, or military freebooter. Bartlett. [1913 Webster] 2. To delay legislation, by dilatory motions or other artifices. [political cant or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • filibuster — ► NOUN ▪ prolonged speaking which obstructs progress in a legislative assembly. ► VERB ▪ obstruct legislation with a filibuster. ORIGIN French flibustier, first applied to pirates who pillaged the Spanish colonies in the West Indies, influenced… …   English terms dictionary

  • Filibuster — Fil i*bus ter, n. [Sp. flibuster, flibustero, corrupted fr. E. freebooter. See {Freebooter}.] A lawless military adventurer, especially one in quest of plunder; a freebooter; originally applied to buccaneers infesting the Spanish American coasts …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Filibuster — (span.), soviel wie Flibustier …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • filibuster — (n.) 1580s, flibutor pirate, probably ultimately from Du. vrijbuiter freebooter, used of pirates in the West Indies as Sp. filibustero and Fr. flibustier, either or both of which gave the word to Amer.Eng. (see FREEBOOTER (Cf. freebooter)). Used… …   Etymology dictionary

  • filibuster — filibùster m DEFINICIJA v. flibustijer …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • filibuster — [n] obstruction of progress, especially in verbal argument delay, hindrance, holding the floor*, interference, opposition, postponement, procrastination, stonewalling*, talkathon*; concept 298 Ant. catalyst, impetus, incentive, progression …   New thesaurus

  • Filibuster — A filibuster, or talking out a bill , is a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision making body. An attempt is made to infinitely extend debate upon a proposal in order to delay the progress or completely prevent a vote on the… …   Wikipedia

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