plebe

== 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/ Rhymes: -iːb === Noun === plebe (plural plebes) (historical, usually in the plural) A plebeian, a member of the lower class of Roman citizens. (historical, obsolete) The plebs, the plebeian class. (obsolete) The similar lower class of any area. (US, military, slang) A freshman cadet at a military academy. ==== Derived terms ==== pleb, plebe class, plebe year, plebeskin ==== Related terms ==== pleb, plebs, plebeian ==== Translations ==== === 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) (historical, Ancient Rome) plebs (plebeian class) Antonym: patriziato (literary) plebs, commoners, common people (as opposed to nobility) Synonym: popolo Antonyms: aristocrazia, nobiltà (derogatory, dated) mob, rabble, riffraff Synonyms: massa, popolino, volgo (figurative, poetic) multitude, mass (of people) Synonym: moltitudine (figurative, poetic, rare) multitude, mass (of plants) Synonym: moltitudine ==== Derived terms ==== plebaglia ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === plebe in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana == Latin == === Noun === plēbe f ablative singular of plēbs == Portuguese == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin plēbem. === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: ple‧be === Noun === plebe f (plural plebes) plebs (the common people) === Further reading === “plebe”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “plebe”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from French plèbe, Latin plebs, plebem. === Noun === plebe f (uncountable) 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) plebeians, common people Synonym: chusma (historical) plebs ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Noun === plebe m or f by sense (plural plebes) (colloquial, Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico) kid, child (New Mexico) kids, children, mass noun, compare with gente usage === Further reading === “plebe”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025