A member of the common people in ancient Rome, including farmers, artisans, and merchants who initially lacked political rights reserved for patricians.
From Latin 'plebeius,' derived from 'plebs' meaning 'the common people' or 'multitude.' The root suggests the masses or crowd, emphasizing their numerical majority versus the elite minority of patricians.
The plebeians invented the strike! When patricians pushed too hard, plebs would literally walk out of Rome to a nearby hill, paralyzing the city until their demands were met - this 'secessio plebis' forced the creation of tribunes and gave birth to workers' rights movements.
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