popular English · revision 3356

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=early 15th century|origins=la populus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈpɒp.jə.lə/, US /ˈpɑː.pjə.lɚ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|populer|t=commonly known, public]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(AHD 2000) [[bor|xno|populer]] and Old French populeir,^(SOED 2002)^(AHD 2000) and directly [[bor|la|populāris|t=belonging to the people; democratic]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[m|la|populus|t=the people]],^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2000) the source of [[people]],^(Etymonline)^(Klein 1966) probably of Etruscan origin.^(AHD 2000)^(MWU 2024)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ “Public, commonly known”: the early 15th century,^(Etymonline) probably before 1425.^(Barnhart 1988) The OED's first quotation, a legal sense, “concerning or open to all the people”, as in a popular action, is from 1490.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ “Of or belonging to the common people” is from 1548^(OED 1989) or the 1540s.^(Etymonline) “Suited to ordinary people, easily understood”, as in ''popular science'', is from 1573,^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) and hence, of prices, “low, affordable”, from 1859.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) “Well liked, admired by the people” is from about 1600^(Etymonline) or 1608.^(Barnhart 1988) Of art, songs and entertainment, “liked by people in general”, it is from 1819.^(Etymonline) ''Popularize'' meant “to cater to popular taste” in 1593 and “to make popular” from 1797.^(Barnhart 1988) The ''Popular Front'' is from 1936, first in France,^(Etymonline) and ''popular capitalism'' from 1979.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * early 15th century – public, commonly known.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1490 – open to all the people, in law.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1548 – of the common people.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1573 – suited to ordinary people.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1608 – well liked.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1819 – of songs and entertainment.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1859 – of prices, low.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1936 – ''Popular Front''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Liked or admired by many people.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+ # Liked by friends and acquaintances; sought after.^(AHD)

+ # Of or carried on by the people as a whole: ''popular opinion''.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # Suited to the taste or understanding of ordinary people.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # Of prices, low; [[affordable]].^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[popularly]]

+ * [[antipopular]]

+ * [[nonpopular]]

+ * [[overpopular]]

+ * [[popularise]]

+ * [[pseudopopular]]

+ * [[semipopular]]

+ * [[pop]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[people]]

+ * [[populace]]

+ * [[population]]

+ * [[populous]]

+ * [[populist]]

+ * [[pueblo]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}