people

people · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Italic · derived from*poplos“army”
2. Old Latin · derived frompopulus
3. Latin · derived frompopulus“a people, nation”
4. Old French · derived frompueple
5. Anglo-Norman · derived frompeople
6. Middle English · inherited frompuple
7. English todaypeople

From Middle English puple, peple, peeple, from Anglo-Norman people, from Old French pueple, peuple, pople, from Latin populus (“a people, nation”), from Old Latin populus, from earlier poplus, from even earlier poplos, from Proto-Italic *poplos (“army”) of unknown origin. Doublet of pueblo. Gradually ousted native English lede and, partially, folk. Originally used with singular verbs (e.g. "the people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness" in the King James Version of 2 Samuel 17:29), the plural aspect of people is probably due to influence from Middle English lede, leed, a plural since Old English times; see lēode.

people · verb²

1. Middle French · derived frompeupler
2. Middle English · inherited frompeplen, peuplien
3. English todaypeople

From Middle English peplen, peuplien, partly from Middle French peupler (from peuple (“people”)) and partly from the noun (etymology 1).

Words from the same roots