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The word that only comes around once every four years: caucus.

"I think the best way to think of a caucus is not as a noun but as a verb, to caucus means to meet or get together or diliberate about something," Joshua Dunn said.

Dunn is a political science professor at The University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

He said at a caucus party members come together to discuss the candidates, and their pros and cons.

"They are diliberating about who should be the nominee for their party, so that is what happens at a caucus opposed to going and punching a ballot and then going on your way," Dunn said.

Iowa is always the first state to caucus simply because of tradition, although Dunn said not every state has a caucus, but instead some have a primary.

He said caucuses can vary from state to state and precinct to precinct.

For example, in some places participants are asked to stand up and voice their pick, while in others, they might be asked to write it down on a blank sheet of paper.

"It definitely looks very old fashioned compared to what you would encounter at a polling booth," Dunn said.

And what about the importance of the Iowa caucuses?

Dunn said it is not so much about delegates, but strength.

"The momentum someone can get coming out of Iowa, and that propels them to future contests in New Hampshire or the south or elsewhere in the country," he said.

FOX21 also spoke with the El Paso County Republican Party Tuesday.

Officals there said they are watching the caucuses closely for poll trends and turnout.

Those numbers they said will help them as they continue to develop and ramp up their local campaign.