Main Entry: pro·le·tar·i·at

Pronunciation: \ˌprō-lə-ˈter-ē-ət, -ē-ˌat\

Function: noun

Etymology: French prolétariat, from Latin proletarius

Date: 1847

1 : the laboring class; especially : the class of industrial workers who lack their own means of production and hence sell their labor to live
2 : the lowest social or economic class of a community