demotic

[ dih-mot-ik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the ordinary, everyday, current form of a language; vernacular:

   a poet with a keen ear for demotic rhythms.

2. of or relating to the common people; popular.
3. of, relating to, or noting the simplified form of hieratic writing used in ancient Egypt between 700 b.c. and a.d. 500.

noun

1. demotic script.
2. (initial capital letter) Also called Romaic. the Modern Greek vernacular ( Katharevusa ).

Demotic

¹

/ dɪˈmɒtɪk /

noun

1. See Katharevusa
   the spoken form of Modern Greek, now increasingly used in literature Compare Katharevusa

adjective

1. denoting or relating to this

demotic

²

/ dɪˈmɒtɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the common people; popular
2. See hieratic
   of or relating to a simplified form of hieroglyphics used in ancient Egypt by the ordinary literate class outside the priesthood Compare hieratic

noun

1. the demotic script of ancient Egypt

Derived Forms

• deˈmotist, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of demotic¹

1815–25; < Greek dēmotikós popular, plebeian, equivalent to dēmót ( ēs ) a plebeian (derivative of dêmos; demo- ) + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of demotic¹

C19: from Greek dēmotikos of the people, from dēmotēs a man of the people, commoner; see demos

Example Sentences

Anything but demotic is Amar Bhide's A Call For Judgment, subtitled "Sensible Finance For A Dynamic Economy."

From The Daily Beast

The demotic self-deprecation barely masks a vast ambition, which is a kind of deception in itself, or an artifice.

From The Daily Beast

An impatient lower court forced her to change it to the demotic “Gregorio,” noting that Venerdi was “a ridiculous name.”

From The Daily Beast

In the more cursive or Hieratic writing the horned serpent appears as ; in the later Demotic as and .

From Project Gutenberg

They bore numerous inscriptions in hieroglyphics and the demotic character, wherefrom the clue was obtained as to their identity.

From Project Gutenberg

Of these demotic fragments a large quantity had been sent to the British Museum.

From Project Gutenberg

On another very marvellous narrative on a papyrus in the demotic character, see Brugsch, loc.

From Project Gutenberg

To the Greek characters were added six taken from the Demotic in order to express sounds peculiar to the Egyptian language.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• conversational
• vernacular