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There are two lead definitions for "democratize" in the Oxford English Dictionary. One of them is:

"make (something) accessible to everyone"

So the usage here is entirely consistent with standard English usage. It is also consistent with the French etymology (démocratiser), which has as a dictionary definition "Rendre démocratique, populaire" (i.e. to make popular).



I think that definition is a part of parent's pet peeve.

dēmo- (people) -kratía (rule) has only indirect relation to popularity.


Thanks! I have also been confused by this use of “democratise”, so learning about the shift from “rule by the masses” to “accessible by the masses” is valuable.


If I let everyone on my street borrow my bike, can I say "I've democratized my bike"?


Did your bike get liberated from your dictatorship?

I don't know. How good did it feel to eat Freedom Fries after 9/11?


If you make lots of bikes available for rent then yes.

https://medium.com/the-fourth-wave/the-great-democratization...


i would say, only if they all get to vote on how/when its used and by whom


While I am also irked by shifting meanings, I think trying to resist these changes is very Canute-like.

https://cdn.digg.com/images/e160ad4bb9c845f894155145539af3df...




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