plebeian

English

WOTD – 7 October 2008

Alternative forms

• plebian
• plebeyan, plebean, plebeane, plebien (obsolete)

Etymology

From Latin plēbēius (“a commoner; common”) + -an (adjective-forming suffix), from Latin plēbēs + -ius (adjective-forming suffix), possibly under the influence of Middle French plebeyen, plebein, plebien (“a commoner”) and plebeien (“concerning the common people”). Cf. Medieval Latin plēbēiānus (“a commoner”), from plēbēius + -ānus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pliˈbiːən/, /plɛbˈiːən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːən

Noun

plebeian (plural plebeians)

1. (historical, Ancient Rome) A member of the plebs, the common citizens of ancient Rome.

   Synonyms: commoner, pleb, plebe

   Antonym: patrician

   • 1533, John Bellenden translating Livy, History of Rome, Vol. II, Ch. iv, Sect. ii:

     Na plebeane will tak þe dochter of ane patriciane but hir consent.

2. A commoner, particularly (derogatory) a low, vulgar person.

   Synonyms: commoner, villain, peasant, nobody

   Antonyms: noble, aristocrat

   • c. 1550, Robert Wedderburn, The Complaynt of Scotlande..., Ch. xv, p. 102:

     There blude... vald hef na bettir cullour nor the blude of ane plebien or of ane mecanik craftis man.

   • 1748, David Hume, Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral., London: Oxford University Press, published 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.

Derived terms

• pleb

Related terms

• plebe, plebs, plebeiance, plebeianism, plebeity, plebeiate

Translations

one of the common people of ancient Rome

• Armenian: պլեբեյ (hy) (plebey)
• Belarusian: плебе́й m (pljebjéj)
• Bulgarian: плебе́й m (plebéj)
• Catalan: plebeu (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 平民 (zh) (píngmín), 庶民 (zh) (shùmín)

• Czech: plebej (cs) m, plebejec (cs) m
• Danish: plebejer c
• Dutch: plebejer (nl) m
• Finnish: plebeiji (fi)
• French: plébéien (fr) m
• German: Plebejer (de) m
• Greek: πληβείος (el) m (pliveíos)

  Ancient Greek: πληβεῖος m (plēbeîos)

• Hungarian: plebejus (hu)
• Italian: plebeo (it) m
• Japanese: 平民 (ja) (へいみん, heimin), 庶民 (ja) (しょみん, shomin), 下下 (しもじも, shimojimo)
• Korean: 평민(平民) (ko) (pyeongmin), 서민(庶民) (ko) (seomin)
• Latin: plēbēius m
• Macedonian: плебеец m (plebeec)
• Maori: kāraroraro, tautauhea, tautauwhea
• Polish: plebejusz (pl) m
• Portuguese: plebeu (pt) m
• Romanian: plebeu (ro) m
• Russian: плебе́й (ru) m (plebéj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: плебе́јац m

  Roman: plebéjac (sh) m

• Slovak: plebejec m
• Slovene: plebejec (sl) m
• Spanish: plebeyo (es) m
• Swedish: plebej (sv) c
• Ukrainian: плебе́й m (plebéj)

Adjective

plebeian (comparative more plebeian, superlative most plebeian)

1. (historical) Of or concerning the plebs, the common citizens of ancient Rome.
   • 1566, William Painter, The Palace of Pleasure Beautified, Vol. I, Ch. iv, fol. 9 verso:

     To what purpose be the plebeian Magistrates ordeined?

2. Of or concerning the common people.
   • 1602, William Watson, A Decacordon of Ten Quodlibeticall Questions, page 301:

     ...priuate person or plebian multitude...

3. Common, particularly (derogatory) vulgar, crude, coarse, uncultured.
   • 1615, Robert Armin, The Valiant Welshman, Vol. i, Ch. i, sig. B:

     For to plebeyan wits, it is as good,
     As to be silent, as not vnderstood.

   • 1953, Arthur Hamilton (lyrics and music), “Cry Me a River”:

     […] told me love was too plebeian / told me you were through with me

   • 2016 September 8, Andrew Cunningham, “The $10,000 golden Apple Watch is no more”, in Arstechnica‎^[1]:

     Completely absent was any mention of the Apple Watch Edition branding, which Apple used last year to launch a pair of $10,000-and-up Apple Watches that worked the same way as the cheap ones but were made out of actual gold instead of workaday, plebeian metals.

Synonyms

• (of or pertaining to the common people): vulgar, common, popular

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “of or pertaining to the common people”): noble, aristocratic

Derived terms

• plebeianize
• plebeianly
• plebeianness

 

Translations

of or pertaining to the common people

• Armenian: պլեբեյական (hy) (plebeyakan), ռամկական (hy) (ṙamkakan)
• Bulgarian: плебейски (bg) (plebejski)
• Catalan: plebeu (ca)
• Czech: plebejský
• Dutch: plebejisch (nl), volks (nl), vulgair (nl)
• Finnish: rahvaanomainen (fi)
• French: plébéien (fr)
• German: plebejisch (de)
• Italian: plebeo (it) m
• Japanese: 賎しい (ja) (iyashii), 下賎な (gesen na), 平民の (heimin no), 庶民の (shomin no)
• Latin: plebeius
• Malay: marhaen
• Persian: عامیانه (fa) ('âmiyâne), عوامانه (fa) ('avâmâne)
• Polish: plebejski (pl)
• Portuguese: plebeu (pt)
• Russian: плебе́йский (ru) (plebéjskij)
• Slovak: plebejský
• Spanish: plebeyo (es), barriobajero
• Swedish: plebejisk (sv)
• Turkish: ayak takımı (tr) (informal - + inflection suffixes)
• Ukrainian: плебе́йський (plebéjsʹkyj)

Further reading

• “plebeian”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “plebeian, n. and adj.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2006.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French plébéien. By surface analysis, plebe +‎ -ian.

Adjective

plebeian m or n (feminine singular plebeiană, masculine plural plebeieni, feminine and neuter plural plebeiene)

1. plebeian

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	plebeian		plebeiană		plebeieni	plebeiene
	definite	plebeianul		plebeiana		plebeienii	plebeienele
genitive- dative	indefinite	plebeian		plebeiene		plebeieni	plebeiene
	definite	plebeianului		plebeienei		plebeienilor	plebeienelor