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 live2: the lowest social or economic class of a community