filibuster
Noun · VerbUS[fil-uh-buhs-ter]/ˈfɪləˌbʌstɚ/4 syllables
Synonyms:
filibusterer
Open English WordNet
Noun (2)
- a legislator who gives long speeches in an effort to delay or obstruct legislation that they opposeSynonyms: filibustererType of legislator, delayer
- (law) a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speechesType of delay, holdup
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Fil′i·bus′ter noun
Origin: 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, but introduced into common English to designate the followers of Lopez in his expedition to Cuba in 1851, and those of Walker in his expedition to Nicaragua, in 1855.
Fil′i·bus·ter intransitive verb [past tense & past participle Fillibustered; present participle & verbal noun Filibustering.]
1. To act as a filibuster, or military freebooter. John Russell. Bartlett
2. To delay legislation, by dilatory motions or other artifices. political cant or slang, U.S. John Russell. Bartlett
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54