peasantry

[pez-uhn-tree]

noun

1. peasants collectively.

2. the status or character of a peasant.

peasantry

/ ˈpɛzəntrɪ /

noun

1. peasants as a class

2. conduct characteristic of peasants

3. the status of a peasant

Word History and Origins

Origin of peasantry¹

First recorded in 1545–55; peasant + -ry

Example Sentences

Instead we are left with Henry attempting to install a kinder, gentler way of taxing the peasantry; Julia scheming to keep her pregnancy safe; and Ellen and Brian preparing to risk it all for love.

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They are members of a technological medieval peasantry.

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Zubak’s desire to redistribute land to the peasantry and his elevation of rural culture is the stuff of many if not most revolutions.

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It was rumored to have been said by an out-of-touch Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, after she learned that the French peasantry had run out of bread.

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Korean cuisine’s roots lie in the austere vegetarianism of the Buddhist temples, the hearty offerings of the rural peasantry and the sophisticated palates of aristocracy and royalty.

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