peasantry — [pez′ən trē] n. 1. peasants collectively 2. a peasant s rank or condition … English World dictionary
Peasantry — Karl Marx did not accord the same significance to the peasantry as he did to the proletariat. The former he saw as essentially a doomed class that would be swept aside by capitalism, while the proletariat represented the agent of revolution… … Historical dictionary of Marxism
peasantry — peasants, peasantry The word ‘peasant’ is a typical example of the confusion of the common use of a word with its sociological definition. Probably the common use, in this case, is more correct. People always know whether or not a person is a… … Dictionary of sociology
peasantry — noun a) Impoverished rural farm workers, either as serfs, small freeholders or hired hands. 1920 They distressed her. They were so stolid. She had always maintained that there is no American peasantry, and she sought now to defend her faith by… … Wiktionary
peasantry — [[t]pe̱z(ə)ntri[/t]] N SING COLL: also no det, usu the N You can refer to all the peasants in a particular country as the peasantry. The Russian peasantry stood on the brink of disappearance … English dictionary
peasantry — peas|ant|ry [ˈpezəntri] n the peasantry all the peasants of a country … Dictionary of contemporary English
peasantry — noun the peasantry all the peasants of a particular country … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
peasantry — peasant ► NOUN 1) a poor smallholder or agricultural labourer of low social status. 2) informal an ignorant, rude, or unsophisticated person. DERIVATIVES peasantry noun. ORIGIN Old French paisent, from pais country … English terms dictionary
peasantry — noun Date: circa 1553 1. peasants 2. the position, rank, or behavior of a peasant … New Collegiate Dictionary
peasantry — /pez euhn tree/, n. 1. peasants collectively. 2. the status or character of a peasant. [1545 55; PEASANT + RY] * * * … Universalium