peasantry

Everyday

All the peasants of a country taken together: the poor farm workers and small farmers, especially in the past. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons on the Middle Ages, the Russian Empire and other times, the peasantry made up most of the people and worked the land for lords. Revolts by the peasantry (such as the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 in England) are taught. In Ukraine's history, the peasantry suffered terribly in the Holodomor famine of 1932-33.

Examples

• The peasantry worked the lord's fields. tree →
• Most of the people in medieval England belonged to the peasantry. tree →
• The peasantry rose up in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. tree →
• Heavy taxes made life hard for the peasantry. tree →
• The king feared the anger of the peasantry. tree →
• The Holodomor caused the deaths of millions of the Ukrainian peasantry. tree →
• We may take next the legends current among the peasantry about various saints. tree →

Note

Usually uncountable and used with "the". From "peasant" (one person). In modern English, calling someone a "peasant" is a rude joke meaning they are low or uncool; do not use it as an insult.