Etymology

plebeian

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Today it means: A member of the plebs, the common citizens of ancient Rome. Full definition →

Latin plēbēius
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromplēbēs
  2. Latin · derived fromplēbēius“a commoner; common”
  3. English todayplebeian

From Latin plēbēius (“a commoner; common”) + -an (adjective-forming suffix), from Latin plēbēs + -ius (adjective-forming suffix), possibly under the influence of Middle French plebeyen, plebein, plebien (“a commoner”) and plebeien (“concerning the common people”). Cf. Medieval Latin plēbēiānus (“a commoner”), from plēbēius + -ānus.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.