populace
UK /ˈpɒpjʊləs/ · US /ˈpɑpjələs/ noun
Forms populaces
- noun The common people of a nation. “The populace despised their ignorant leader.”
- noun The inhabitants of a country or one of its administrative divisions (such as a state, province, or county).
Synonyms
common people hoi polloi masses people rabble riff-raff demos inhabitants population public world
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French populace, from Italian popolaccio, from popolo + -accio (“pejorative suffix”), from Latin populus.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The common people; the vulgar; the multitude, --comprehending all persons not distinguished by rank, office, education, or profession. Pope.
Etymology [F. populace, fr. It. popolaccio, popolazzo, fr. popolo people, L. populus. See People.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “populace”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details