peasant
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a poor person who lives in the country and works on a small farm, especially in the past.
n.a member of a traditional class of farmers, either as smallholders or agricultural labourers, typically associated with feudal or pre-industrial societies.
Simple“In the Middle Ages, most peasants spent their entire lives working on the lord's land.”
In context“The uprising was fueled by the peasants' resentment toward the heavy taxes imposed by the ruling aristocracy during the famine.”
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.an insulting word for someone you think is rude, uneducated, or has bad manners.
n.a derogatory term for an individual perceived as uncouth, uncultured, or lacking in social refinement.
Simple“He acted like a total peasant by shouting at the waiter in the middle of the restaurant.”
In context“The socialite dismissed the newcomers as mere peasants, mocking their lack of familiarity with high-society etiquette.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is highly offensive and elitist; it is used to look down on others based on their perceived class or education.
Synonymsbooroafchurl - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describing a style of clothing or food that is simple and traditional, like what farmers used to wear or eat.
adj.relating to or characteristic of the traditional clothing, food, or customs of agricultural labourers.
Simple“She wore a white peasant blouse with colorful embroidery on the sleeves.”
In context“The restaurant specialized in rustic peasant dishes, serving hearty stews and thick crusty bread in a communal setting.”
SynonymsAntonyms
“Derbhle Crotty reads the Brooklyn author’s 2003 essay on Augusta Gregory, the Irish playwright and folk historian who famously observed how ownership of a toothbrush separated the gentry from the peasant classes.”
“That, “of course, opened the door to Rasputin ,” the Siberian peasant and faith healer widely credited with cementing the family’s downfall, Rappaport tells Smithsonian .”
From Late Middle English paissaunt, from Anglo-Norman paisant, from Old French païsant, païsan (“countryman, peasant”), from païs (“country”), from Latin pāgus (“countryside”) + Old French -enc (“member of”), from Frankish -inc, -ing "-ing"; which was an alteration of earlier Late Latin pāgēnsis (“inhabitant of a district”). Doublet of paisano.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.