peasant

peas·ant

noun \ˈpe-z^ənt\

Definition of PEASANT

1

: a member of a European class of persons tilling the soil as small landowners or as laborers; also : a member of a similar class elsewhere

2

: a usually uneducated person of low social status

Examples of PEASANT

1. They treated us like a bunch of peasants.

Origin of PEASANT

Middle English paissaunt, from Anglo-French paisant, pesaunt, from pais, paiis country, from Late Latin pagensis inhabitant of a district, from Latin pagus district; akin to Latin pangere to fix — more at pact

First Known Use: 15th century

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

Rhymes with PEASANT

bezant, pheasant, pleasant, present

peasant

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any member of a class that tills the soil as small landowners or agricultural labourers. The peasant economy generally has a simple technology and a division of labour by age and sex. The basic unit of production is the family or household. Peasant families traditionally consume what they produce, though a portion of their output may be sold in the market or paid to a landlord. Productivity per worker and yields per unit of land are usually low. Peasants as a class tend to disappear as a society industrializes, though peasantlike social structures may persist under new economic regimens. See also ejido; feudalism; hacienda; serfdom.