canaille

American  

[kuh-neyl, ka-nah-y^uh] / kəˈneɪl, kaˈnɑ jə /

noun

1. riffraff; rabble.

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canaille British  

/ kanɑj /

noun

1. the masses; mob; rabble

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Etymology

Origin of canaille

1670–80; < French < Italian canaglia pack of dogs, equivalent to can ( e ) dog (< Latin canis ) + -aglia collective suffix

Example Sentences

He knew nothing of that silent middle class that struggled between genteel poverty and the impossible desire of emulating the golden canaille to which he himself belonged.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

"Regard me simply in the light of a son who wishes to bury his father, and who is prevented from fulfilling that most sacred duty by the wickedness and malice of the canaille."

From Regina or the Sins of the Fathers by Sudermann, Hermann

Still, there are others----" "You forget that I have got to rule the canaille in Cahors," he answered impatiently, "as well as these mad clowns, who think that the end of the world is here.

From The Red Cockade by Weyman, Stanley John

He was, moreover, no friend to the populace, to the canaille, and he had a particular aversion to the nationals. 

From The Bible in Spain - Vol. 2 [of 2] by Borrow, George Henry

By that time I began to perceive which way the wind was blowing: the canaille had unceremoniously linked their arms in those of the National Guards, and insisted, courteously but firmly, on carrying their firearms.

From An Englishman in Paris Notes and Recollections by Albert D.