DEMOTIC

demotic

(adjective) of or for the common people; “demotic entertainments”; “demotic speech”; “a poet with a keen ear for demotic rhythms”

Demotic

(adjective) of or written in or belonging to the form of modern Greek based on colloquial use

Romaic, Demotic

(noun) the modern Greek vernacular

Demotic, Demotic script

(noun) a simplified cursive form of the ancient hieratic script; “Demotic script was eventually replaced by Greek”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Proper noun

Demotic

demotic Egyptian script, used from c. 650BCE to 452CE.

demotic Egyptian language, spoken from c. 650BCE to 400BCE.

Etymology

Adjective

demotic (not comparable)

Of or for the common people.

Synonyms: colloquial, informal, popular, vernacular

Antonym: formal

Of, relating to, or written in the vulgar form of ancient Egyptian hieratic writing, with simplified, cursive hieroglyphs.

Synonym: enchorial

Of, relating to, or written in the form of modern vernacular Greek.

Noun

demotic (plural demotics)

(linguistics) Language as spoken or written by the common people.

Source: Wiktionary


De*mot"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. démotique.]

Definition: Of or pertaining to the people; popular; common. Demotic alphabet or character, a form of writing used in Egypt after six or seven centuries before Christ, for books, deeds, and other such writings; a simplified form of the hieratic character; -- called also epistolographic character, and enchorial character. See Enchorial.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

25 January 2025

DERMATOGLYPHICS

(noun) the study of the whorls and loops and arches in the fingertips and on the palms of the hand and the soles of the feet; “some criminologists specialize in dermatoglyphics”


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Coffee Trivia

In 1511, leaders in Mecca believed coffee stimulated radical thinking and outlawed the drink. In 1524, the leaders overturned that order, and people could drink coffee again.

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