demotic

[dih-mot-ik] /dɪˈmɒt ɪk/
adjective
1.
of or pertaining to the ordinary, everyday, current form of a language; vernacular:
a poet with a keen ear for demotic rhythms.
2.
of or pertaining to the common people; popular.
3.
of, pertaining to, or noting the simplified form of hieratic writing used in ancient Egypt between 700 b.c. and a.d. 500.
noun
4.
demotic script.
5.
(initial capital letter). Also called Romaic. the Modern Greek vernacular (distinguished from Katharevusa).
Origin
1815-25; < Greek dēmotikós popular, plebeian, equivalent to dēmót(ēs) a plebeian (derivative of dêmos; see demo-) + -ikos -ic
Examples from the web for demotic
  • Few writers have made such profound art out of their annoyance with the demotic.
  • In demotic, the cartouche was reduced to a pair of parentheses and a vertical line.
British Dictionary definitions for demotic

demotic

/dɪˈmɒtɪk/
adjective
1.
of or relating to the common people; popular
2.
of or relating to a simplified form of hieroglyphics used in ancient Egypt by the ordinary literate class outside the priesthood Compare hieratic
noun
3.
the demotic script of ancient Egypt
Derived Forms
demotist, noun
Word Origin
C19: from Greek dēmotikos of the people, from dēmotēs a man of the people, commoner; see demos

Demotic

/dɪˈmɒtɪk/
noun
1.
the spoken form of Modern Greek, now increasingly used in literature Compare Katharevusa
adjective
2.
denoting or relating to this
Word Origin and History for demotic
adj.

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.