δημοτικός

Forms

δημοτῐκός (dēmotikós) m (feminine δημοτῐκή, neuter δημοτῐκόν); first/second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek δημότης (dēmótēs, “commoner, fellow citizen”) + -ικός (-ikós).^[1][2] The base δημότης (dēmótēs) is itself derived from δῆμος (dêmos, “district, people”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It appears in the 5th century BC.^[3][4] Herodotus says that the Egyptians use two kinds of letters, one called sacred and the other “of the people” (demotic), and Aristophanes and Thucydides use it in the political sense “popular, democratic”.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

In Athenian political language it meant “on the side of the people, democratic”, of persons, measures and constitutions: Aristotle says that the constitution had become far more democratic than Solon's.^[4][5] As a noun, οἱ δημοτικοί were the supporters of the popular party, and also the ordinary citizens as opposed to the wealthy, a use found in Aristophanes, Demosthenes and Aristotle.^[4][5] It also meant “belonging to a deme” in Attic law.^[4] Plutarch used it for Roman plebeians, and Polybius and Plutarch for ordinary, everyday clothing or wine.^[5][4] In the papyri of Roman Egypt it named the common people of the nome capitals, as opposed to the councillors, and the public liturgies they had to perform.^[4]

Medieval vernacular Greek kept the word.^[6] In Modern Greek δημοτικός (dimotikós) means “popular, of the people”, as in the phrase for folk songs, a calque on German Volkslieder, and in the name of the popular language, the δημοτική; it also names the primary school and means “municipal”, of the local-government δήμος (dímos).^[2] English took demotic in 1822, first of the simpler of the two Egyptian scripts, and has used it of the popular form of Modern Greek since 1927.^[7]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Herodotus calls one of the two Egyptian scripts “popular” as opposed to “sacred”.^[4][5]
• 5th century BC – Aristophanes and Thucydides use it in the sense “democratic”.^[4]
• 4th century BC – Demosthenes and Aristotle use οἱ δημοτικοί of ordinary citizens and of the popular party.^[4][5]
• 1st–2nd century AD – Plutarch uses it for Roman plebeians and for everyday clothing.^[5][4]
• 4th century AD – Papyri from Oxyrhynchus use it of the common people of a nome capital and their public liturgies.^[4]
• 1822 – English borrows it as demotic, of the Egyptian popular script.^[7]
• Modern Greek – The learned word δημοτικός (dimotikós) means municipal and popular.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Favouring the common people, on the side of the people, democratic; as a noun, a supporter of the popular party.^[4][5]
2. Belonging to the common people, ordinary; as a noun (plural), ordinary citizens, the general public; at Rome, plebeian.^[5][4]
3. Of writing, the popular script of the Egyptians, as opposed to the sacred; demotic.^[4][5]
4. Commonly held or in common use; of clothing or wine, everyday.^[5][4]
5. Of or belonging to a δῆμος (dêmos) (an Attic deme).^[4]
6. (papyri) Belonging to the common people of a nome capital, as opposed to the councillors.^[4]

Related words

• δῆμος (dêmos)
• δημότης (dēmótēs)
• English demotic

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
3. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com