entry
proletariat
/ˌproʊləˈtɛəriət/Working class dependent on wages for survival
From Latin prōlēs (offspring).
from Latin proletarius (see proletarian ). In political economics, "indigent wage-earners, , the class of wage-workers...
+1 more sourcefrom French prolétariat
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin proletarius (see proletarian ). In political economics, "indigent wage-earners, , the class of wage-workers...
+1 more sourcefrom French prolétariat
+1 more sourceIn ancient Rome, a proletarius was not originally a factory worker or a revolutionary; he was a citizen so poor that his main contribution to the state was counted as his children. The word reaches back to Latin prōlēs, “offspring,” from the idea of something growing or being produced. Centuries later, French political vocabulary turned prolétaire into prolétariat, and English adopted proletariat in 1853 for the poorest class. Marx and later Lenin gave the term its explosive modern charge: the people who owned no productive property except their capacity to work. So beneath the formidable political label is a surprisingly domestic image—a Roman census looking at a poor man and, effectively, counting his children as his capital.
The Story
In ancient Rome, a proletarius was not originally a factory worker or a revolutionary; he was a citizen so poor that his main contribution to the state was counted as his children. The word reaches back to Latin prōlēs, “offspring,” from the idea of something growing or being produced. Centuries later, French political vocabulary turned prolétaire into prolétariat, and English adopted proletariat in 1853 for the poorest class. Marx and later Lenin gave the term its explosive modern charge: the people who owned no productive property except their capacity to work. So beneath the formidable political label is a surprisingly domestic image—a Roman census looking at a poor man and, effectively, counting his children as his capital.
Modern Usage
A sometimes derogatory label for working-class or poor people
Popularized by: Karl Marx
Notable References
- The Communist Manifesto
- dictatorship of the proletariat
Kin & Kindred
From 'prōlēs'·offspring; descendants; growth produced by a person
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia