English
demotic
Demotic comes from Ancient Greek δημοτικός ‘common’, and goes back to δῆμος.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδῆμοςdêmos‘the common people’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδημότηςdēmótēs‘commoner’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδημοτικόςdēmotikós‘common’
- Englishearliest quotation 2014demotic
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδῆμοςdêmos‘the common people’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδημότηςdēmótēs‘commoner’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEδημοτικόςdēmotikós‘common’
- Englishearliest quotation 2014demotic
Earliest quotation: 2014, Rupert Christiansen, English translations rarely sing: “Anything grandiose or historically based tends to sound flat…”
first attested First attested in 1822, from Ancient Greek δημοτικός (dēmotikós, “common”), from δημότης (dēmótēs, “commoner”), from δῆμος (dêmos, “the common people”) (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested in 1822, from Ancient Greek δημοτικός (dēmotikós, “common”), from δημότης (dēmótēs, “commoner”), from δῆμος (dêmos, “the common people”).
Linked words
through Ancient Greek δῆμος ‘the common people’
academic, democracy, democratic, democrat, pandemic, endemic, demos, demography, demiurge, 27 more
Today it means
adj Of or for the common people.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek δῆμος / demotic