plebeian

英 [pl?'bi??n] 美[pl?'bi?n]

GRE暢通詞匯

復數:?plebeians;

plebeian 平民，平民的，庸俗的

來自拉丁語pleb,平民，普通人，來自PIE*ple,裝滿，填滿，詞源同fill,full.引申詞義平民的，大眾的，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.: 湯姆·潘恩在18世紀90年代教育平民激進分子時論述到，如果不是為了實現王公、外交官和士兵借發起戰爭而使自己富有的潛在利益，人類本會生活在和諧之中。

2. He spent all day playing rackets on the beach, a plebeian sport if there ever was one.: 他一整天都在海灘玩壁球，再沒有比這更不入流的運動了。