Etymologically
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democraticus

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Forms

dēmocraticus, dēmocratica, dēmocraticum; first/second-declension adjective[1][2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek δημοκρατικός (dēmokratikós, “of or for democracy”),[2][1][3] from δημοκρατία (dēmokratía, “popular government”).[3] The word was taken into Medieval Latin,[2][1][3] beside dēmocratia.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Albertus Magnus is the first to use it, in his work on Aristotle's politics, where it renders the Greek word; he writes that “democraticus principatus non simpliciter pessimus” is not simply the worst rule, but less good than kingship and aristocracy.[2][1]

Semantic evolution

In the scholastic writers it described a constitution or community ruled by the people: Thomas Aquinas speaks of a communitas, lex and politia democratica.[4][1] Albertus also used the neuter as a noun for a feature of democracy.[2]

Neo-Latin writers kept the word for popular government, from Cyriac of Ancona's city “flourishing in democratic liberty” to Spinoza's Tractatus politicus.[5] In Poland senatus democraticus was a name for the chamber of deputies of the diet.[6] English democratic came about 1600 from French démocratique, from the Medieval Latin word.[3]

Timeline

  • 13th century – Albertus Magnus uses it of rule by the people.[2][1]
  • 3rd quarter of the 13th century – Thomas Aquinas uses it in the Summa.[1][4]
  • c. 1600 – English democratic, through French.[3]
  • 1605 – Joseph Hall's Mundus alter et idem calls a state democratic.[7]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (Medieval Latin) Of or relating to democracy, democratic.[2][1][4][5]
  2. (Medieval Latin, neuter as noun) A feature or principle of democracy.[2]
  3. (New Latin) senatus democraticus: the chamber of deputies of the Polish diet.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Schütz, Ludwig (1895), Thomas-Lexikon, 2nd ed., Paderborn: F. Schöningh
  5. ^ a b Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de
  6. ^ a b Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl
  7. ^ Jeanneau, Gérard; Woitrain, Jean-Paul; Hassid, Jean-Claude (2017), Dictionnaire latin-français, online ed., prima-elementa.fr