Demo
/ˈdɛmoʊ/
A demo is an informal short form of demonstration, used either to describe a trial or sample of a product or performance, or a public protest.
Examples
- Police monitored the anti-war demo closely.
- She went to the climate change demo in central London.
- The startup gave a live demo of their new app at the conference.
- We are still testing the demo version of the software.
- There were thousands at the demo.
Meanings
Derived from the late Middle English demonstracioun, from Latin demonstratio, meaning 'to show clearly'. The shortened form demo emerged in the 20th century as informal usage in fields like music and computing.
Examples
- The startup gave a live demo of their new app at the conference.
- She recorded a demo of her song before going into the studio.
- We are still testing the demo version of the software.
- He demos new features to clients every Friday.
- The band released a demo tape in 1995.
Same root as above. The political sense of demonstration dates to the 17th century. The clipped form demo became popular in the UK during the 20th century, especially during activist movements.
Examples
- She went to the climate change demo in central London.
- Police monitored the anti-war demo closely.
- He got arrested at a student demo in 1968.
- The union is organizing a demo next week.
- There were thousands at the demo.