different between idiomatic vs demotic

English

Alternative forms

• idiomatick (obsolete)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ??????????? (idi?matikós, “related to an idiom”), from ?????? (idí?ma, “idiom”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??di.??mæt?k/

Adjective

idiomatic (comparative more idiomatic, superlative most idiomatic)

1. Pertaining or conforming to idiom, the natural mode of expression of a language.

   The inclusion or omission of definite articles follows idiomatic norms in each language and depends on context and intent.

   In English, the only idiomatic position for a pronoun as the object of a phrasal verb is before the particle, whereas a noun as object can fall either before or after the particle; thus only he picked them up but either he picked his tools up or he picked up his tools.

2. Resembling or characteristic of an idiom.

   an idiomatic phrase that warns us against pollyannaism is counting one's chickens before they hatch

3. (music) Parts or pieces which are written both within the natural physical limitations of the instrument and human body and, less so or less often, the styles of playing used on specific instruments.

Antonyms

• nonidiomatic
• unidiomatic

Related terms

• idiom
• idiomatical
• idiomatically
• idiomaticity
• idiomaticize
• idiomaticness

Translations

Noun

idiomatic (plural idiomatics)

1. Synonym of idiom

References

• idiomatic in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• idiomatic in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Romanian

Etymology

From French idiomatique

Adjective

idiomatic m or n (feminine singular idiomatic?, masculine plural idiomatici, feminine and neuter plural idiomatice)

1. idiomatic

Declension

English

Etymology

First attested in 1822, from Ancient Greek ????????? (d?motikós, “common”), from ??????? (d?mót?s, “commoner”), from ????? (dêmos, “the common people”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /d?.?m?.t?k/
• (US) IPA^(key): /d?.m?.t?k/

Adjective

demotic (not comparable)

1. Of or for the common people.

   Synonyms: colloquial, informal, popular, vernacular

   Antonym: formal
2. Of, relating to, or written in the ancient Egyptian script that developed from Lower Egyptian hieratic writing starting from around 650 B.C.E. and was chiefly used to write the Demotic phase of the Egyptian language, with simplified and cursive characters that no longer corresponded directly to their hieroglyphic precursors.

   Synonym: enchorial

   Coordinate term: abnormal hieratic

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

Derived terms

• demoticist

Related terms

• Demotic Greek
• demotist

Translations

Noun

demotic (plural demotics)

1. (linguistics) Language as spoken or written by the common people.
   • 2010, John C. Wells, accents map

     Note the intrusion into British demotic (“me and Cheryl were having”) of the valley-girl quotative be, like.

Translations

Further reading

• demotic on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “demotic”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.