proletarian
[proh-li-tair-ee-uh n]
- pertaining or belonging to the proletariat.
- (in ancient Rome) belonging to the lowest or poorest class of the people.
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- a member of the proletariat.
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Origin of proletarian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for proletarian
Contemporary Examples
Am I going to get a "knock on the door" asking me to explain how Fidel's proletarian paradise knew so much about the Poll Tax?
Historical Examples
These are the only ones to whom the term "proletarian" could with any propriety be applied.
FolkwaysWilliam Graham Sumner
He mows down a proletarian and a Marshall Field with the same scythe.
The proletarian beat the table like a drum in praise of Paris.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston EditionRobert Louis Stevenson
A strike is the only way of impressing the proletarian psychology.
Ghetto ComediesIsrael Zangwill
You cannot possibly comprehend the proletarian civilization of the future.
The QuestFrederik van Eeden
proletarian
less commonly proletary (ˈprəʊlɪtərɪ, -trɪ)
- of, relating, or belonging to the proletariat
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- a member of the proletariat
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Word Origin
C17: from Latin prōlētārius one whose only contribution to the state was his offspring, from prōlēs offspring
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for proletarian
1650s (n.) "member of the lowest class;" 1660s (adj.) "of the lowest class of people;" with -ian + Latin proletarius "citizen of the lowest class" (as an adjective, "relating to offspring"), in ancient Rome, propertyless people, exempted from taxes and military service, who served the state only by having children; from proles "offspring, progeny" (see prolific).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper