Dems

/dɛmz/ noun

Definition

Informal abbreviation for Democrats, members or supporters of the Democratic Party in American politics.

Etymology

A modern colloquial shortening of 'Democrats', which comes from Greek 'demokratia' meaning 'rule by the people', from 'demos' (people) + 'kratos' (power or rule). The abbreviation emerged in American political discourse in the mid-20th century.

Kelly Says

This casual abbreviation reflects how political language adapts to social media and informal communication, where brevity is prized. Interestingly, while 'Dems' is widely accepted, the parallel 'Reps' for Republicans is less commonly used, showing how different political communities adopt linguistic shortcuts differently.

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