Proletariat

Pronunciation

• US enPR: 'prōlĭʹtârÄ“É™t, IPA: /ËŒproÊŠlɪˈtɛəriÉ™t/

Alternative forms

• proletariate

Origin

From French prolétariat, from Latin proletarius ("a man whose only wealth is his offspring, or whose sole service to the state is as father"), from proles ("offspring, posterity")

Full definition of proletariat

Noun

1. The working class or lower class.
• 1906, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, "Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie to day the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class."
2. The wage earners collectively, excluding salaried workers.
3. (history) In ancient Rome, the lowest class of citizens, who had no property.

Derived terms

• precariat