proletarian
[ proh-li-tair-ee-uh n ]
/ ˌproʊ lɪˈtɛər i ən /
adjective
pertaining or belonging to the proletariat.
(in ancient Rome) belonging to the lowest or poorest class of the people.
noun
a member of the proletariat.
RELATED WORDS
humble, miserable, vulgar, petty, accessible, ubiquitous, prevalent, familiar, universal, rampant, public, simple, modest, obscure, unassuming, ordinary, unpretentious, employee, trader, peasant
Nearby words
- prolegomenon,
- prolegomenous,
- prolepsis,
- proleptic,
- proles,
- proletarianism,
- proletarianize,
- proletariat,
- proletarize,
- proletary
Origin of proletarian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for proletarian
proletarian
less commonly proletary (ˈprəʊlɪtərɪ, -trɪ)
/ (ˌprəʊlɪˈtɛərɪən) /
adjective
of, relating, or belonging to the proletariat
noun plural -tarians or -taries
a member of the proletariat
Word Origin for proletarian
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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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).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper