Etymologically
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popularitas

Etymology and origin of the Latin word popularitas

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (populus)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [pɔ.pʊˈɫaː.rɪ.taːs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [po.puˈlaː.ri.tas][1]

Forms

populāritās f (genitive populāritātis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from populāris “of the people; fellow-countryman” with the suffix -tās, from populus “people”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of fellow-citizenship.[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[3]

Semantic evolution

In Plautus it meant belonging to the same community, fellow-citizenship.[2][4] In Tacitus it was the courting of popular favour, especially in politics.[2][5]

Medieval Latin used it for laying waste.[6] British Medieval Latin glossed it as fellowship.[7] English popularity (about 1600) came from French popularité, and Etymonline notes that the Classical word meant “fellow-citizenship”.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of fellow-citizenship.[2][3]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of courting popular favour.[5][3]
  • c. 1600 – English popularity is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Fellow-citizenship.[2]
  2. The courting of popular favour; popularity.[2][5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Laying waste.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Popularitas.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/popularitas. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·