δῆμος · dēmos — LSJ
district, country, land, Βοιωτοὶ μάλα πίονα δ. ἔχοντες Il. 5.710; Λυκίης ἐν πίονι δ. 16.437, cf. Od. 13.322, etc.; Ἰθάκης ἐνὶ δ. 1.103; δήμῳ ἔνι Τρώων 13.266; λαοὶ ἀνὰ δῆμον 16.95: metaph., δῆμος ὀνείρων the land of dreams, 24.12.
the people, inhabitants of such a district, πόληΐ τε παντί τε δήμῳ Il. 3.50, cf. h.Cer. 271; Βακτρίων ἔρρει πανώλης δ. A. Pers. 732.
hence (since the common people lived in the country, the chiefs in the city), the commons, common people, δήμου ἀνήρ, opp. βασιλεύς, ἔξοχος ἀνήρ, etc., Il. 2.198, 188, cf. 11.328, Hes. Op. 261, Hdt. 5.66, Act.Ap. 12.22, etc. (rarely of a single person, δῆμον ἐόντα being a commoner, Il. 12.213); opp. οἱ εὐδαίμονες, Hdt. 1.196; opp. οἱ παχέες, Id. 5.30; opp. οἱ δυνατοί, Th. 5.4; οἱ . . ἐπαναστάντες τοῖς δυνατοῖς καὶ ὄντες δῆμος Id. 8.73; = Lat. plebs, D.H. 6.88, etc.; τοῦ πολλοῦ δ. εἷς unus de ple
metaph., δ. ἰχθύων Antiph. 206.7; τυράννων Philostr. VS 1.15.1; πιθήκων Id. VA 3.4; ὀρνέων Alciphr. 3.30.
in a political sense, the sovereign people, the free citizens, A. Th. 199, 1011, etc.; ὁ δ. ὁ Ἀθηναίων IG 1(2).10.37, etc.; προστάτης τοῦ δήμου Th. 6.35, etc.; personified, Ar. Eq. 42, al.; ἱερεὺς τοῦ Δ. καὶ τῶν Χαρίτων IG 2(2).1028.
popular government, democracy, opp. ὀλιγαρχίη, Hdt. 3.82; opp. οἱ τύραννοι, And. 1.106; πολίτεομα εἶναι ἐν Χίῳ δ. SIG 283.4 (iv B. C.); δήμου κατάλυσις X. HG 2.3.28, Arist. Ath. 8.4; ταῦτα καταλύει δῆμον, οὐ κωμῳδία Philippid. 25.7; δ. καταστῆσαι, καταπαύειν, X. HG 7.3.3, Th. 1.107: in pl., democracies, Id. 3.82, D. 20.15; δ. ὁ ἔσχατος Arist. Pol. 1277b3.
the popular assembly, λέγειν ἐν τῷ δ. Pl. R. 565b; ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ὁ δ., formula in Inscrr., as IG 1(2).39, etc.; of the assembly of Oxyrhynchus, POxy. 41.19 (iii/iv A. D.), 1407.19 (iii A. D.).
township, commune ( = Dor. κώμη acc. to Arist. Po. 1448a37; but διελόμενοι τὴν μὲν πόλιν κατὰ κώμας, τὴν δὲ χώραν κατὰ δήμους Isoc. 7.46, cf. Pl. Lg. 746d, and v. infr.), in Attica, Hdt. 5.69, Arist. Ath. 21.5, Str. 9.1.16, IG 1(2).76.9, al.; elsewh., ib. 12(5).594 (Ceos), Phib. 1.28.13 (iii A. D.), OGI 49.14 (Ptolemais), etc.:—Dor. δᾶμος, Michel 418.34 (Calymna), IG 12(1).58.23 (Lindos): in indications of origin, Σωφάνης ἐκ δ. Δεκελεῆθεν Hdt. 9.73; δήμου Ἁλαιεύς Antiph. 211; τῶν δήμων Πιτθεύς P
name for a prostitute, Archil. 184.
faction in the circus, Tab.Defix.Aud. 15.8 (Syria, iii A. D.).
= κατανάγκη, Ps.-Dsc. 4.131. (Perh. cognate with Skt. dá̄ti ‘reap’, δαίομαι, δατέομαι.)