peasant

[pez-uhnt]

noun

1. a member of a class of persons, as in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, who are small farmers or farm laborers of low social rank.

2. a coarse, unsophisticated, boorish, uneducated person of little financial means.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of peasants or their traditions, way of life, crafts, etc.

2. of or designating a style of clothing modeled on the folk costumes of Western cultures, especially women's full-sleeved, round-necked blouses and long, full skirts.

peasant

/ ˈpɛzənt /

noun

1. 1. a member of a class of low social status that depends on either cottage industry or agricultural labour as a means of subsistence

   2. ( as modifier )

      peasant dress

2. informal,  a person who lives in the country; rustic

3. informal,  an uncouth or uncultured person

peasant

1. A farmer or agricultural worker of low status. The word is applied chiefly to agricultural workers in Asia, Europe, and South America, who generally adhere to traditional agricultural practices and have little social mobility or freedom.

Other Word Forms

• peasantlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of peasant¹

1375–1425; late Middle English paissaunt < Anglo-French paisant, Old French païsant, earlier païsenc, equivalent to païs country (< Late Latin pāgēnsis, equivalent to Latin pāg ( us ) country district + -ēnsis -ensis ) + -enc < Germanic ( -ing ³ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of peasant¹

C15: from Anglo-French, from Old French païsant, from païs country, from Latin pāgus rural area; see _pagan

Example Sentences

All the enlightened reformers in Europe were desperately trying to eliminate the peasant peculiarities and plebeian dialects that divided the peoples of their nations.

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“Why, the countryside is full of peasants! Who knew they could be so easily provoked? Surely we ought to get rid of them at once.”

Read more on Literature

This was distinct from Europe where aristocrats lived off inherited wealth, only peasants labored manually and one’s place in society was fixed.

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"I just don't like anything which creates a kind of lords and peasants sort of thing," he told an audience in New York in 2023.

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“Chefs have purposefully made it feel unachievable. When you strip it back, it’s all from peasant cookery — people were cooking it on farms, around fires.”

Read more on Salon