Peasant

A peasant, from 15th century French païsant and Latin pagus country district, is a countryman either working for others, or, more specifically, owning or renting and working by his own labor a small plot of ground. A peasant depends economically on the farming of their land. Peasants typically make up the majority of the agricultural labor force in a pre-industrial society. Though a word of not very strict application, it is now frequently used of the rural population of countries where the land is chiefly held by small holders, peasant proprietors.

The word peasant is sometimes used as an insult by those townsfolk who consider themselves superior.

Peasant Sayings

• "Arbeit macht frei" German peasant saying

Related Topics

• Farmer
• Feudalism
• Peon
• Proletarian
• Serf
• Slave

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.