plebs

English

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plebs

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Latin plēbs (“the plebeian class”), variant of earlier plēbēs. Later also understood as the plural of pleb.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /plɛbz/
• Rhymes: -ɛbz

Noun

plebs

1. plural of pleb

Noun

plebs pl (plural only)

1. (historical) The plebeian class of Ancient Rome.

   Synonym: plebeiate

   • c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv], line 92:

     Why I am going with my pidgeons to the tribunall Plebs.

2. The common people, especially (derogatory) the mob.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:commonalty

   • a. 1657, George Daniel, "The Author" in Poems, Vol. II, p. 131:

     For 'tis an Easier Thing
     To make Trees Leape, and Stones selfe-burthens bring
     (As once Amphion to the walls of Thæbes,)
     Then Stop the giddie Clamouring of Plebs...

   • 1993, Max Cavalera, "Refuse/Resist", Sepultura, Chaos A.D.

     Chaos A.D. / Tanks On The Streets / Confronting Police / Bleeding The Plebs

   • 2000, James Fentress, chapter 1, in Rebels & Mafiosi: Death in a Sicilian Landscape:

     The history of Palermo was punctuated by such uprisings; when they happened, the great barons simply fled to the safety of their country villas, leaving the urban plebs free to sack their palaces in the city.

   • 2009, Erica Benner, chapter 8, in Machiavelli's Ethics:

     The lesser plebs are not unscrupulous troublemakers.

Usage notes

Although the Latin plebs was usually declined as a singular group noun, English plebs is usually treated as grammatically plural in all its senses.

Derived terms

• plebiscite
• tribune of the plebs

Related terms

• plebeian, plebe, pleb

Translations

The common people

Chinese: Mandarin: 庶民 (zh) (shùmín) Czech: plebs (cs) m Esperanto: popolamaso French: plèbe (fr) f Galician: plebe (gl) f German: Plebs (de) f Icelandic: plebbi m Italian: plebe (it) Japanese: 庶民 (ja) (しょみん, shomin) Korean: 서민 (ko) (seomin) Latin: plebs (la) m Persian: عوام (fa) ('avâm) Polish: plebs (pl) m Portuguese: plebe (pt) Romanian: plebe (ro) Russian: плебс (ru) m (plebs), чернь (ru) f (černʹ), плебе́и (ru) m pl (plebéi) Spanish: plebe (es) f

References

• “plebs, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2006.

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈplɛps]

Noun

plebs m inan

1. plebs, commoners

Declension

Declension of plebs (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	plebs	plebsy
genitive	plebsu	plebsů
dative	plebsu	plebsům
accusative	plebs	plebsy
vocative	plebse	plebsy
locative	plebsu	plebsech
instrumental	plebsem	plebsy

Related terms

• plebej
• plebejec

Further reading

• “plebs”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “plebs”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin plēbs.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /plɛps/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: plebs

Noun

plebs n (uncountable)

1. (derogatory) plebs, rabble, riffraff

   Synonyms: gepeupel, gespuis, grauw, tuig van de richel

2. (historical) plebs, commoners (non-aristocratic class in ancient Rome, esp. during the Roman Republic)

Related terms

• plebejer
• plebejisch
• plebisciet