proletariat
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From French prolétariat, from Latin proletarius (“a man whose only wealth is his offspring, or whose sole service to the state is as father”), from proles (“offspring, posterity”)
Pronunciation [edit]
(US) enPR: 'prōlĭʹtârēət, IPA: /ˌproʊlɪˈtɛəriət/, X-SAMPA: %pr\oUlI"tEr\i@t
Noun [edit]
proletariat (countable and uncountable; plural proletariats)
- The working class or lower class.
- 1906, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party[1], page 173:
- "Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie to day the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class."
- 1906, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party[1], page 173:
- The wage earners collectively, excluding salaried workers.
- (history) In ancient Rome, the lowest class of citizens, who had no property.
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
working class or lower class
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wage-earners collectively
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lowest class of citizens in Rome
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See also [edit]
Proletariat on Wikipedia.Wikipedia