Popular
/ˈpɒp.jə.lər/noun
Liked, accepted, or common among many people.
Did you know?Popular comes from Latin *populus*, meaning “the people,” the same root behind *people* itself, so the word’s original force was political and collective, not glamorous.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Italic
PI
*poplo-
“the people, the community”
Latin
Latin
populus
“the people, the public, the nation”
Late Latin
Latin
popularis
“of or belonging to the people; democratic, public-spirited”
Old French
Old French
popular
“of the common people; well-liked by the public”
14th Century
English
popular
“belonging to the people; favored by many”
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