third estate

American  

noun

1. the third of the three estates or political orders: the commons in France or England.

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third estate British  

noun

1. the third order or class in a country or society divided into estates, esp for representation in a parliament; the commons, townsmen, or middle class

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Etymology

Origin of third estate

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

And now the fencing has come to the Supreme Court, to the third estate.

From Washington Post • May 10, 2022

The term had a special resonance with his Francophone audience because it recalled the third estate, “tiers-état,” of the French Revolution.

From Time • Aug. 26, 2015

The "third estate" was aroused and the States-General was summoned.

From Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 4 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History by Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)

In the Constituent Assembly its members did not number more than 30 out of the 578 of the third estate.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9 "Dagupan" to "David" by Various

Tiers �tat, tyārz ā-t�′, n. the third estate of the realm, the common people in relation to political power.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various