Plebeius

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. One who belongs to the lower or common class in Roman society; a person from a non-privileged background in historical contexts; someone regarded as ordinary or unsophisticated in modern usage
2. A member of the ordinary or lower class within ancient Roman societal structure; an individual lacking elite status or privilege historically; describing someone typically considered unrefined or typical today
3. An individual representing the general populace in ancient Roman times; a person without noble lineage in history; referring to a common or unremarkable person in contemporary language

Etymology: The word "plebeius" is Latin, an adjective meaning "of the plebs," the common people of Rome as opposed to the patricians, the hereditary aristocratic families. The plebs were the bulk of Roman citizens, and the Latin noun "plebs" is related to "plenus," meaning "full," reflecting the sheer numbers of the ordinary populace. Over the centuries Roman political struggles between plebeians and patricians shaped the vocabulary used to describe social rank. English got its own form "plebeian" in the 1500s, drawn directly from Latin, and it has tracked the same contrast ever since: a person who lacks noble birth, and then, by extension, someone or something coarse, vulgar or ordinary.

Synonyms: plebeian, commoner, citizen, populace, proletarian

Antonyms: patrician, noble, aristocrat, elite, upper class