was wotd|2006|December|19
English
wikipedia
Etymology
From AGr. term|scpolytonic|οἱ|trhoi||the (plural)|langgrc, and term|scpolytonic|�ολλοί|trpolloi||many|langgrc.
Pronunciation
IPA|/�h�ɪ p��l�ɪ/, SAMPA|/%hOI p@"lOI/
audio|en-us-hoi polloi.ogg|Audio (US)
Noun
en-noun|- i|collective noun
- The common people; the masses.
- non-standard The elite (hoi oligoi).
Usage notes
As term|hoi represents a definite article in Ancient Greek, some authorities consider that the construction the hoi polloi is redundant and should not be used in English.
Confusingly, the second definition is opposed to the first; it arose from a misunderstanding of the term, probably under influence of such terms as term|hoity-toity.
Synonyms
sense|common people the canaille, the common people, the great unwashed, the herd, the many, the masses, the multitude, the peasantry i|when used figuratively, the proletariat i|as a class, the rabble, the rank-and-file, the riffraff, the working class
sense|elite the elite
Translations
trans-top|the common people
Estonian: lihtrahvas, pööbel
trans-mid
Polish: plebs m
Spanish: populacho m, plebe f
trans-bottom
trans-top|the elite
trans-mid
trans-bottom
| 