democratic
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌdɛməˈkɹætɪk/
ipa: /ˌdɛməˈkɹætɪk/
ipa: [-ɾɪk]
rhymes: -ætɪk
Forms: form: democratics
form: democratick
Etymology: From Middle French democratique (“pertaining to democracy, democratic”) (modern French démocratique), and its etymon Late Latin democraticus (“pertaining to democracy, democratic; democrat”), from Ancient Greek δημοκρᾰτῐκός (dēmokrătĭkós, “of or for democracy; favouring or suited for democracy”), from δημοκρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (dēmokrătĭ́ā, “democracy”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix with the sense ‘of or pertaining’ to forming adjectives). Δημοκρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (Dēmokrătĭ́ā) is derived from δῆμος (dêmos, “the common people; free citizens, sovereign people; popular assembly; popular government, democracy”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂- (“to divide; to share”)) + -κρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (-krătĭ́ā, suffix meaning ‘government; rule’) (from κρᾰ́τος (krắtos, “might, strength; dominion, power”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kret- (“insight, intelligence; strength”)) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns)). By surface analysis, demo- + -cratic or democrat + -ic.
Senses: examples: text: This kingly government (as some call it) is a thing that our democraticks cannot brook: we are an undone people if we do not down with that.
ref: 1692, Gershom Bulkeley, “Will and Doom, or The Miseries of Connecticut by and under an Usurped and Arbitrary Power. […]”, in Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, volume III, Hartford, Conn.: […] [Connecticut Historical] Society, published 1895, →OCLC, page 195:
text: […] [Thomas] Fairfax was made general of all the forces both in England and Ireland; and Rainsbrough [i.e., Thomas Rainsborough], a leveller, and a violent head of the democraticks, high-admiral.
ref: 1760, Delahay Gordon, “The Life and Death of King Charles the First”, in A General History of the Lives, Trials, and Executions of All the Royal and Noble Personages, that have Suffered in Great-Britain and Ireland for High Treason, or Other Crimes, from the Accession of Henry VIII. to the Throne of England, down to the Present Time; […], volume III, London: […] J. Burd, […], page 440:
text: Several circumſtances have concurred to confirm the belief that this wretched lunatick was the identical Marquis de Brunoy, who had been buried in the gloom of a priſon for nine years, whilſt the world thought him dead. The mad democraticks began to ſpread reports that the Count de Provence was privy to this tranſaction; and that it was this Prince who had obtained the Lettre de Cachet, by virtue of which this wretched man had been ſo long deprived of the light of heaven.
ref: 1789 October 10, “Paris”, in I[ohann] W[ilhelm] von Archenholz, editor, The British Mercury, or Annals of History, Politics, Manners, Literature, Arts, etc. of the British Empire, volume XI, number 41, Hamburg: […] B. C. Hoffman, →OCLC, page 39:
text: For that equality among the multitude which democratics explore, is not only just among those of a similar rank but is advantageous.
ref: 1811, Aristotle, “The Politics. Book V. Chapter VIII.”, in Thomas Taylor, transl., The Great, and Eudemian, Ethics, the Politics, and Economics, of Aristotle. […], London: […] Robert Wilks, […], →OCLC, page 412:
text: He [Lysander] now destroyed the democratics and popular constitutions in all the Greek cities which had been subject to Athens, placing a Lacedæmonian in each as harmost or governor, with a council of ten archons under him, composed of men selected from the political clubs which he had established.
ref: 1881, Plutarch, “Life of Lysander”, in Aubrey Stewart, George Long, transl., Plutarch’s Lives. […], volume II, London: George Bell and Sons, […], →OCLC, page 296:
synonyms: word: democratical
word: democratist
word: democrat
extra: (“a supporter of democracy; an advocate of democratic politics (originally (historical) as opposed to the aristocrats in Revolutionary France)”)
glosses: Synonym of democrat (“a supporter of democracy; an advocate of democratic politics (originally (historical) as opposed to the aristocrats in Revolutionary France)”).