plebe

See also: plèbe

English

Etymology

From Latin plēbs (“the plebeian class”), probably via Middle French plebe (“plebeians, commoners, the rabble”) and possibly later understood as a clipping of plebeian. Cognate with Italian plebe, Spanish plebe, Portuguese plebe.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /plib/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pliːb/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːb

Noun

plebe (plural plebes)

1. (historical, usually in the plural) A plebeian, a member of the lower class of Roman citizens.
   • 1562–1565 (date written), Thomas Smyth [i.e., Thomas Smith], “The Diuision of the Parts and Persons of the Common Wealth”, in De Republica Anglorum. The Maner of Gouernement or Policie of the Realme of England, […], London: […] Henrie Midleton for Gregorie Seton, published 1583, →OCLC, pages 19–20:

     Another the like was among the Romanes of Patricij & plebes, thone ſtriuing with thother a long time, the patricij many yeares excluding the plebes from bearing rule, vntill at laſt all magiſtrates were made cõmon [common] betweene thẽ [them]: […]

2. (historical, obsolete) The plebs, the plebeian class.
   • 1612, Thomas Heywood, chapter II, in An Apology for Actors:

     All other roomes were free for the plebe or multitude.

3. (obsolete) The similar lower class of any area.
4. (US, military, slang) A freshman cadet at a military academy.
   • 1834 October, Military & Naval Magazine, page 85:

     My drill master, a young stripling, told me I was not so ‘gross’ as most other pleibs, the name of all new cadets.

   • 1910, H. Irving Hancock, Dick Prescott's Second Year at West Point, page 84:

     "But is a plebe forbidden to stroll here?"
     "If a plebe did have the brass to try it," replied Anstey slowly, "I reckon he would have to fight the whole yearling class in turn."

   • 2014, David Lipsky, Absolutely American: Four Years at West Point, page 8:

     Plebes spend their first summer at Cadet Basic Training — Beast Barracks — where they get soldierized.

   • 2018 October 26, Joe Crochet, My Winning Seasons: Discovering the Champion Within, page 3:

     “You went to The Citadel?” her mother chimed in. “I’ve heard so many great things about that institution. Did you go through a plebe year?” I told her I did and that we called it the knob year because freshman cadets had to shave their heads bald to resemble the butt end of a door knob and keep it that way for an entire ten months while going through the process of being broken down, only to be built back up.

Derived terms

• pleb, plebe class, plebe year, plebeskin

Related terms

• pleb, plebs, plebeian

Translations

plebeian — see plebeian

plebs — see plebs

first-year cadet

• Finnish: simppu (fi)

References

• “plebe, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2006.

Anagrams

• bleep

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin plēbem. Compare the inherited doublet pieve.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈplɛ.be/
• Rhymes: -ɛbe
• Hyphenation: plè‧be

Noun

plebe f (plural plebi)

1. (historical, Ancient Rome) plebs (plebeian class)

   Antonym: patriziato

2. (literary) plebs, commoners, common people (as opposed to nobility)

   Synonym: popolo

   Antonyms: aristocrazia, nobiltà

3. (derogatory, dated) mob, rabble, riffraff

   Synonyms: massa, popolino, volgo

4. (figurative, poetic) multitude, mass (of people)

   Synonym: moltitudine

5. (figurative, poetic, rare) multitude, mass (of plants)

   Synonym: moltitudine

Derived terms

• plebaglia

Related terms

• plebeo
• plebiscito

 

Further reading

• plebe in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Noun

plēbe

1. ablative singular of plēbs

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin plēbem.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈplɛ.bi/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈplɛ.bi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈplɛ.be/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈplɛ.bɨ/ [ˈplɛ.βɨ]

• Hyphenation: ple‧be

Noun

plebe f (plural plebes)

1. plebs (the common people)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French plèbe, Latin plebs, plebem.

Noun

plebe f (uncountable)

1. plebs, the common people, commonality, commoners, the lower orders

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin plēbem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈplebe/ [ˈple.β̞e]
• Rhymes: -ebe
• Syllabification: ple‧be

Noun

plebe f (plural plebes)

1. plebeians, common people

   Synonym: chusma

2. (historical) plebs

Derived terms

• tribuno de la plebe

 

Related terms

• plebeyo

 

Noun

plebe m or f by sense (plural plebes)

1. (colloquial, Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico) kid, child
2. (New Mexico) kids, children, mass noun, compare with gente usage

   ¿Dónde está la plebe?

   Where are the kids?

Further reading

• “plebe”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28