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# plebeian

«plebeian» in Mova's school dictionary: **In ancient Rome, a plebeian was an ordinary citizen, not…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a plebeian, plebeians); adjective (plebeian)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (history) In ancient Rome, a plebeian was an ordinary citizen, not one of the rich noble families called patricians. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plebeian/#m1)

2) (formal, often rude) Plebeian means common, ordinary or not refined; snobs use it to look down on people or things. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plebeian/#m2)

3) (UK slang, rude) The short form «pleb» is an insult for someone thought to be common or low class. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plebeian/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In history lessons on Rome, plebeians and patricians struggled over rights; in everyday life the short insult «pleb» is used, especially in UK schools, and is unkind. Phrases: plebeians and patricians, plebeian tastes.

### examples

- In Rome, most people were plebeians. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plebeian/#x1)
- Plebeians could not at first marry patricians. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plebeian/#x2)
- The plebeians fought for their own leaders, the tribunes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plebeian/#x3)
- (formal) The snobby lady called the funfair plebeian. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plebeian/#x4)
- (rude) «Don't be a pleb,» he sneered. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plebeian/#x5)
- Calling someone a pleb is unkind. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plebeian/#x6)

### note

Say pleh-BEE-un. Spelling: «-beian». The short form «pleb» is rude in the UK. Look down on nobody: in history plebeians were the ordinary working people.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «plebeian» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plebeian/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.