demodikos

Demodikos is a transliteration variant of the Greek adjective dimotikós (δημοτικός), generally meaning “of the people” or “popular.” In English, the standard terms are demotic or dimotikós, and demodikos is not widely used as a standalone term in contemporary scholarship. When it appears, it is usually as an older or less common transliteration or as a proper name in a manuscript, rather than as a distinct subject of study.

Origin and meaning: The word derives from demos, the Greek for “the people,” combined with a common suffix such as -tikós, which yields meanings like “pertaining to the people.” In Modern Greek, δημοτικός (dimotikós) designates the vernacular or municipal sense: a language commonly called demotic or, in the context of Greek, the dimotikí (the vernacular language) as opposed to more archaic forms. The same root appears in other uses of the term’s family, such as demotic language in linguistic or cultural discussions and, in Egyptology, the Demotic script, though that usage is not tied to the Greek sense of the word.

Attestations and usage: Demodikos is not a widely recognized independent topic in major reference works. It is sometimes seen as a variant spelling in historical texts or as a romanization artifact. Care should be taken not to conflate it with distinct terms that share the same root, such as Demodocus, the Homeric bard, or the Egyptian Demotic script, which are unrelated to the Greek adjective’s sense.

See also: Demotic, Dimotikós, Modern Greek language, Demotic script (Egyptology).