popular, vulgar

popular, vulgar
These words are no longer synonymous, but for many centuries they were. Popular is derived from a Latin word meaning "people"; vulgar comes from a Latin term meaning "the general public." (The English word mob is a shortened form of Latin mobile vulgus, the changeable common people.) What is popular is regarded with favor by people in general (a popular public figure); popular also applies to attitudes or tastes prevailing among masses of people: "popular superstitions," "popular music." Vulgar can also mean popular in the sense of "common" or "current" (vulgar success, vulgar soap operas), but the term is now employed almost entirely in the senses of "indecent," "ignorant," "crude," "unrefined," or "lacking distinction": "vulgar language," "vulgar gestures," "vulgar display." Despite the related origins of the words and their occasionally shared meaning, no longer can one say that what is popular is vulgar or vice versa.

Dictionary of problem words and expressions. . 1975.

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  • vulgar — See popular. See popular, vulgar …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • popular — See popular, vulgar …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • vulgar — VULGÁR, Ă, vulgari, e, adj. 1. Ordinar, grosolan; josnic, mitocănesc. 2. Lipsit de originalitate; comun, obişnuit, banal. ♢ (mat.) Logaritm vulgar = logaritm zecimal. 3. (înv.; despre limbă) Vorbit de popor, popular. ♢ Limba latină vulgară =… …   Dicționar Român

  • Vulgar Latin — (in Latin, sermo vulgaris , folk speech ) is a blanket term covering the popular dialects and sociolects of the Latin language which diverged from each other in the early Middle Ages, evolving into the Romance languages by the 9th century. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Vulgar Latin — popular Latin, as distinguished from literary or standard Latin, esp. those spoken forms of Latin from which the Romance languages developed. Abbr.: VL [1810 20] * * * ▪ language       spoken form of non Classical Latin from which originated the… …   Universalium

  • vulgar — [vul′gər] adj. [ME < L vularis < vulgus, volgus, the common people < IE base * wel , to crowd, throng > Gr eilein, to press, swarm] 1. of, characteristic of, belonging to, or common to the great mass of people in general; common;… …   English World dictionary

  • popular — POPULÁR, Ă, populari, e, adj. 1. Care aparţine poporului, privitor la popor, care provine din popor. ♦ Care este alcătuit din oameni din popor şi lucrează pentru popor. 2. Creat de popor; specific unui popor, caracteristic culturii lui. 3. Care… …   Dicționar Român

  • vulgar — [adj1] rude, offensive base, blue*, boorish, cheap, coarse, common, contemptible, crude, dirty, disgusting, dishonorable, filthy, fractious, gross*, hard core*, ignoble, impolite, improper, indecent, indecorous, indelicate, inferior, low,… …   New thesaurus

  • vulgar — 1 *common, ordinary, familiar, popular Analogous words: *universal, general: *prevailing, prevalent, current, rife: *usual, customary: crude, *rude, rough, uncouth: sordid, ignoble, *mean …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Vulgar Latin — n. the everyday speech of the Roman people, from which the Romance languages developed; popular Latin as distinguished from standard or literary Latin …   English World dictionary

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