plebeian
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Alternative forms
[edit] Etymology
Latin plebeius, from plebs, plebis (“the common people”)
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Adjective
plebeian (comparative more plebeian, superlative most plebeian)
- Of or pertaining to the Roman plebs, or common people.
- Of or pertaining to the common people; vulgar; common; as plebeian sports;
- They were all from the ghetto, a plebeian throng.
[edit] Noun
plebeian (plural plebeians)
- One of the plebs, or common people of ancient Rome, in distinction from patrician.
- (archaic) One of the common people, or lower rank of men.
- 1748. David Hume. Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. § 3.
- The feelings of our heart, the agitation of our passions, the vehemence of our affections, dissipate all its conclusions, and reduce the profound philosopher to a mere plebeian.
- 1748. David Hume. Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. § 3.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Antonyms
- (one of the plebs): patrician
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
one of the common people in ancient Rome
Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
