Original Definition:
democracy as a principle or a form of government
Example:
"For conceiving that the Prince my Father had usurped an Authority which did not belong unto him, and desiring to reduce the Government into a Popularity, and to prevent his Successors from raigning after him, see how they argued the matter amongst themselves." – Madeleine de Scudéry (translated by F.G.), Artamenes, 1653
About the Word:
While the more cynical among us might argue that our current system of government is still largely based on popularity, it is a popularity that is a bit different from the original meaning of the word.
Popularity has been in use since at least 1546, the year in which the Bishop of Winchester used it in a letter to Lord Paget, writing of 'an inclination they have to a popularity'. The letter is concerned with grave political matters of the time, and not with who is the most liked in the schoolyard.
