Word.ws English Dictionary

plebe

/pliːb/US/plib/

plebe noun: a plebeian, a member of the lower class of Roman citizens.

Noun

plebe (plural plebes)

  1. (historical, plural-normally) A plebeian, a member of the lower class of Roman citizens.
    • Another the like was among the Romanes of Patricij & plebes, thone ſtriuing with thother a long time, the patricij many yeares excluding the plebes from bearing rule, vntill at laſt all magiſtrates were made cõmon [common] betweene thẽ [them]: […]1562–1565 (date written), Thomas Smyth [i.e., Thomas Smith], “The Diuision of the Parts and Persons of the Common Wealth”, in De Republica Anglorum. The Maner of Gouernement or Policie of the Realme...
  2. (historical, obsolete) The plebs, the plebeian class.
    • All other roomes were free for the plebe or multitude.1612, Thomas Heywood, chapter II, in An Apology for Actors
  3. (obsolete) The similar lower class of any area.
  4. (US, slang) A freshman cadet at a military academy.
    • My drill master, a young stripling, told me I was not so ‘gross’ as most other pleibs, the name of all new cadets.1834 October, Military & Naval Magazine, page 85
    • "But is a plebe forbidden to stroll here?"
    • "If a plebe did have the brass to try it," replied Anstey slowly, "I reckon he would have to fight the whole yearling class in turn."1910, H. Irving Hancock, Dick Prescott's Second Year at West Point, page 84

Forms of plebe

pluralplebes

Origin of plebe

From Latin plēbs (“the plebeian class”), probably via Middle French plebe (“plebeians, commoners, the rabble”) and possibly later understood as a clipping of plebeian. Cognate with Italian plebe, Spanish plebe, Portuguese plebe.

Words formed from plebe

Words that rhyme with plebe

Questions about plebe

What does plebe mean?
Plebe means a plebeian, a member of the lower class of Roman citizens.
What part of speech is plebe?
Plebe is a noun.
How do you pronounce plebe?
Plebe is pronounced /plib/ (US).
What is the plural of plebe?
The plural of plebe is plebes.

Words near plebe in the dictionary

  1. plebanates
  2. plebbier
  3. plebbiest
  4. Plebbit
  5. plebby
  6. plebe
  7. plebean
  8. plebeane
  9. plebeanes
  10. plebeans
  11. plebeian

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: plebe (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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