On a Glossary of Democracy
“auctoritas: (Latin) Might, power, influence, clout; the general level of prestige or reputation a person held in Roman society. Whence the English authority. Also, tutelage, tutor. ‘Cum potestas in populo auctoritas in senatu sit’ (While power resides in the people, authority rests with the Senate.)—Cicero”
“heeler: A follower who works to further the interests of a politician, esp. one who is obsequious or unscrupulous; a flunky, hanger-on. (Whence ward heeler.) Alludes to folk etymology of the patriarch Jacob; from Hebrew עָקֵב ,יַעֲקֹב, heel. In Genesis 25:26 Jacob is described as clutching the heel of his twin brother Esau when leaving the womb of their mother, Rebecca. In Genesis 27:36 Esau associates his brother’s name with the connotations ‘to assail a person deceitfully, to overreach, to supplant.’”
“vulgar: Of an ordinary unartificial type; not refined or advanced; having a common and offensively mean character; coarsely commonplace; lacking in refinement or taste; uncultured, ill-bred. ‘That word means the mind of the herd, and specifically the herd in the city, the gutter, and the tavern.’—Guy Davenport, 1987”
“Glossary: Democracy,” - laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/glossary-democracy.
