peasant

American  

[pez-uhnt] / ˈpɛz ənt /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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peasant Cultural  

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.

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Other Word Forms

• peasantlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of peasant

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 )

Example Sentences

The late French queen is best known for her supposedly callous, clueless, privileged suggestion that if the peasants couldn’t get enough bread, they should eat cake instead.

From MarketWatch

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

From The Wall Street Journal

“Nonsense, dear. Without peasants, who would do all the work? Anyway, it wasn’t peasants; it was pheasants. Murderous pheasants.”

From Literature

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

From The Wall Street Journal

“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.”

From Salon