demotic (2010-03-04)

Part of Speech: adjective

Pronunciation: [di-'mot-ik]

Definition: Popular, colloquial, pertaining to the common man.

Usage: Imagine if the famous film The Exorcist were written by a linguist. Linda Blair, the young girl possessed by Pazuzu turns her head around and shouts maniacally, “y'all want some sweet tea?” “My goodness!” the priest cries, “it's absolutely demotic!” A linguist shakes his head in the corner of the room. “Southern American demotic,” he exhales slowly. “Looks like we've got a trip to take.” Demotic possession is definitely something to be frightened of.

Suggested Usage: Demotic, which obviously shares a root with democracy, simply means that which is of (or for) the common people. It may be used to describe a piece of writing (the demotic masterpiece, the Declaration of Independence), or common language—the demotic words of an area or population.

Etymology: The word demotic comes from the Greek demotikos, which means "of or the common people.” Further broken down, demos is the Greek word for the plebeian, the average Joe, from a word that originally meant district. Demotic was first seen in English in the early 1800s, and has been around ever since, shifting in meaning from time to time.