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A.Word.A.Day--vox populi

Pronunciation RealAudio

vox populi (VOKS POP-yuh-ly) noun

Popular opinion; general sentiment.

[From Latin, literally voice of the people.]

A related expression is "Vox populi vox Dei" meaning the voice of the people is the voice of God. It refers to the idea that the king or the government ought to pay attention to the voice of the people. Vox populi vox Dei certainly works when it comes to the growth of a language.

See more usage examples of vox populi in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

"Dedman's piece got barely a whisper from the vox populi. 'We received just one e-mail, but no one complained,' said Globe Ombudsman Christine Chinlund." Allan Wolper; The Credibility Gap; Editor & Publisher (New York); Aug 12, 2002.

This week's theme: terms from Latin.

X-Bonus

One day's exposure to mountains is better than cartloads of books. See how willingly Nature poses herself upon photographers' plates. No earthly chemicals are so sensitive as those of the human soul. -John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914)

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