Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word proletariat. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word proletariat, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say proletariat in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word proletariat you have here. The definition of the word proletariat will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofproletariat, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
From Frenchprolétariat(“proletariats as a class; state of being a proletariat”), from Latinprōlētārius(“belonging to the lowest class of citizens, whose only contribution to the state was their offspring; member of this class”) + French-at(suffix denoting actions or the results of actions).[1]Prōlētārius is derived from prōlēs(“offspring, posterity”) + -ārius(suffix forming adjectives from nouns, or forming nouns denoting agents of use from other nouns); prōlēs is from pro-(prefix meaning ‘bringing forth or into being; bringing into the open’) + *olēs (a variant of *oleō(“to grow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-(“to grow, nourish”)).
Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie to-day, the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class. The other classes decay and finally disappear in the face of modern industry; the proletariat is its special and essential product.