demotic
[ dih-mot-ik ]
/ dɪˈmɒt ɪk /
adjective
of or relating to the ordinary, everyday, current form of a language; vernacular: a poet with a keen ear for demotic rhythms.
of or relating to the common people; popular.
of, relating to, or noting the simplified form of hieratic writing used in ancient Egypt between 700 b.c. and a.d. 500.
noun
demotic script.
(initial capital letter) Also called Romaic. the Modern Greek vernacular (distinguished from Katharevusa).
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- demos,
- demoscene,
- demosthenes,
- demote,
- demothball,
- demotion,
- demotivate,
- demount,
- dempsey,
- dempsey, jack
Origin of demotic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for demotic
demotic
/ (dɪˈmɒtɪk) /
adjective
of or relating to the common people; popular
of or relating to a simplified form of hieroglyphics used in ancient Egypt by the ordinary literate class outside the priesthoodCompare hieratic
noun
the demotic script of ancient Egypt
Word Origin for demotic
C19: from Greek dēmotikos of the people, from dēmotēs a man of the people, commoner; see demos
Demotic
/ (dɪˈmɒtɪk) /
noun
the spoken form of Modern Greek, now increasingly used in literatureCompare Katharevusa
adjective
denoting or relating to this
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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demotic
1822, from Greek demotikos "of or for the common people, in common use," from demos "common people," originally "district," from PIE *da-mo- "division," from root *da- "to divide" (see tide). In contrast to hieratic. Originally of the simpler of two forms of ancient Egyptian writing; broader sense is from 1831; used of Greek since 1927.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper