PLEBS

Etymology

Noun

plebs

plural of pleb in its various senses.

Noun

plebs pl (plural only)

(historical) The plebeian class of ancient Rome.

The common people, especially (pejorative) the mob.

Usage notes

Although the Latin plebs was usually declined as a singular group noun, English plebs is usually treated as grammatically plural in all its senses.

Synonyms

• (Roman plebeian class): plebeiate

• (common people): the canaille, the common people, the great unwashed, the herd, the hoi polloi, the many, the masses, the multitude, the peasantry (rural), the proletariat (urban), the rabble, the rank-and-file, the riffraff, the working class, the mob

Source: Wiktionary

Plebs (plebz), n. [L. Cf. Plebe.]

1. The commonalty of ancient Rome who were citizens without the usual political rights; the plebeians; -- distinguished from the patricians.

2. Hence, the common people; the populace; --construed as a pl.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition