Where does “proletariat” come from?
Proletariat derives from French prolétariat, composed of French pro- from Latin pro meaning "before" and Latin -arius, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH-.
proletariat (English): The working class or lower class; The wage...
Definitions
- The working class or lower class; The wage...
Ancestry of “proletariat”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | prolétariat | proletariat |
| 2 | French | prolétaire | proletarian |
| 3 | Latin | prōlētārius | belonging to the lowest class of citizens, who, lacking property, contributed to the State with their offspring instead |
| 4 | Latin | prōlēs | offspring, children, progeny, descendants, a line of descendants, family, race |
| 5 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |