Hoi polloi

For the 1935 Three Stooges film, see Hoi Polloi (film). For the Scottish punk band, see Oi Polloi. For other uses, see HOI (disambiguation).
Hoi polloi
Origin/etymologyGreek
Meaning"the many"

Hoi polloi (/ˌhɔɪ pəˈlɔɪ/; from Ancient Greek οἱ πολλοί (hoi polloí) 'the many') is an expression from Greek that means "the many" or, in the strictest sense, "the people". In English, it has been given a negative connotation to signify the common people.[1] Synonyms for hoi polloi include "the plebs" (plebeians), "the rabble", "the masses", "the great unwashed", "the riffraff", and "the proles" (proletarians).[2]

The phrase probably became known to English scholars through Pericles' Funeral Oration, as mentioned in Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles uses it in a positive way when praising the Athenian democracy, contrasting it with hoi oligoi, "the few" (Greek: οἱ ὀλίγοι; see also oligarchy).[3]

Its current English usage originated in the early 19th century, a time when it was generally accepted that one must be familiar with Greek and Latin in order to be considered well educated.[4][5] The phrase was originally written in Greek letters.[6][7][8] Knowledge of these languages served to set apart the speaker from hoi polloi in question, who were not similarly educated.[6]

  1. ^ "hoi polloi". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  2. ^ "hoi polloi". Roget's New Millennium Thesaurus. Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. Retrieved 2006-07-12.
  3. ^ Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, Book 2.34-46: "καὶ ὄνομα μὲν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐς ὀλίγους ἀλλ᾿ ἐς πλείονας οἰκεῖν δημοκρατία κέκληται " ("It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few").
  4. ^ Rexine, John E. (September–October 1978). Review of The Scientist's Thesaurus: A Treasury of the Stock Words of Science by George F. Steffanides. Vol. 62. p. 291. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "British studies: the eighteenth century, a guide to topics in the Michigan state university libraries' collections". July 15, 2003. Archived from the original on 2006-09-05. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
  6. ^ a b "The Maven's Word of the Day". Random House. November 13, 1998. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
  7. ^ Editors of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition "Blue plate special"; how to use "hoi polloi; "Peck's Bad Boy October 28, 2003, Jewish World Review.
  8. ^ Lord Byron Lord Byron's Letters and Journals Archived 2005-12-19 at the Wayback Machine November 24, 1813.