plebeian

英 [plɪ'biːən] 美[plə'biən]

GRE畅通词汇

复数: plebeians;

plebeian 平民，平民的，庸俗的

来自拉丁语pleb,平民，普通人，来自PIE*ple,装满，填满，词源同fill,full.引申词义平民的，大众的，庸俗的。

plebeian: plebeian: [16] The plēbs were the ‘common people’ of ancient Rome (the word may connected with Greek pléthos ‘multitude’, a relative of English plethora). English gets plebeian from its derived adjective plēbēius. The connotations of ‘lower-classness’ have been transferred from ancient Rome to the present day, and inspired the derogatory pleb [19]. A plebiscite [16] is etymologically a ‘decree approved by the common people’.
plebeian (n.): "member of the lowest class," 1530s, from Latin plebius "person not of noble rank," from adjective meaning "of the common people" (see plebeian (adj.)).
plebeian (adj.): also plebian, "of or characteristic of the lower class," 1560s in a Roman historical sense, from Latin plebeius "belonging to the plebs," earlier plebes, "the populace, the common people" (as opposed to patricians, etc.), also "commonality; the mass, the multitude; the lower class," from PIE *ple- (see pleio-). In general (non-historical) use from 1580s.

1. In the 1790s Tom Paine taught plebeian radicals that mankind would live in harmony were it not for the vested interest which princes, diplomats and soldiers had in promoting wars to enrich themselves.: 汤姆·潘恩在18世纪90年代教育平民激进分子时论述到，如果不是为了实现王公、外交官和士兵借发起战争而使自己富有的潜在利益，人类本会生活在和谐之中。

2. He spent all day playing rackets on the beach, a plebeian sport if there ever was one.: 他一整天都在海滩玩壁球，再没有比这更不入流的运动了。