English
proletariat
Proletariat comes from French prolétaire ‘proletarian’, from Latin proletārius ‘belonging to the lowest class of citizens,…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘to grow, nourish’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-‘to grow, nourish’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*olēs‘growth’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōlēs‘offspring’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEproletārius‘belonging to the lowest class of citizens, who, lacking property’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentprolétaire‘proletarian’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentprolétariat
- Englishearliest quotation 1848proletariat
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-‘to grow, nourish’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*olēs‘growth’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōlēs‘offspring’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEproletārius‘belonging to the lowest class of citizens, who, lacking property’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentprolétaire‘proletarian’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentprolétariat
- Englishearliest quotation 1848proletariat
Earliest quotation: 1848, Karl Marx; Frederick Engels [i.e., Bourgeois and Proletarians: “Of all the classes that stand face to face…”
Equivalent to prōlēs + -ary + -at
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘to grow, nourish’
as, all, old, else, adult, el, ultimate, element, alien, ultra, elder, alter, altitude, alumni, ellen, outrage, alt, qualification, ou, alpine, alto, altar, abolish, adolescent, alias, alum, alibi, alimony, alp, altruism, auld, ulterior, parallax, exalt, retaliate, althea, coalesce, aad, eld, altimeter, 67 more
through Latin prōlēs ‘offspring’
Today it means
noun The lowest class of society; also, the lower classes of society generally; the masses.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- / proletariat