Peasants
/ˈpɛzənts/
nounB2plural
Definition
Peasants are rural people who traditionally work on farms or in small villages. They often have simple lives and fewer rights or wealth compared to rich or powerful people. The word is often used when talking about history or societies with strong class differences.
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See It in Action
People who live in rural areas and work in farming, often in poor conditions
- •The peasants harvested the wheat by hand.
- •Peasants made up most of the population in medieval Europe.
- •Many peasants lived in small villages with simple homes.
A social class with little wealth or power, especially in history
- •The peasants rebelled against the unfair taxes.
- •Peasants had to pay rent to the landowners.
- •The king’s laws affected peasants differently than nobles.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "peasants" like "farmers" (A1 word) but usually poorer and with less land or power.
- ✓Picture a small village with people working in fields, wearing simple clothes, living in small houses.
- ✓It's the feeling of hard work under the sun, with little comfort or luxury.
- ✓Sounds like "PEZ-ants" → imagine a group of people eating simple peas for food every day.
- ✓Think of old stories or movies about kings and queens where peasants live outside the castles and work the land.
- ✓NOT like "nobles" or "lords" who have power and big houses—peasants have little influence.
- ✓NOT like "workers" in a city or factory—peasants work mostly outdoors with plants and animals.
- ✓NOT like "rich farmers" who own big farms—peasants usually have small plots or work for others.
Try Other Words
- •Villagers: people living in a village (Use when focusing on where they live, not their job or class)
- •Serfs: peasants who were legally tied to the land and had to work for a lord (Use in historical contexts about feudal systems)
- •Rural workers: people working in the countryside (Use in modern or general contexts without social class meaning)
- •Commoners: ordinary people without noble titles (Use when focusing on social class, not just farming)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "peasant" + plural "-s"
- •Etymology: From Old French "paisant," from "pais" meaning country or land
- •Historical development: Originally meant a person from the countryside; over time, it came to mean a poor rural worker, especially in medieval Europe
- •Modern usage: Used mostly in history or to describe simple rural people, sometimes with a negative or old-fashioned tone
- •Interesting fact: The word "peasant" can sound rude today if used to describe someone in a modern context
Reflect & Connect
•How do you think the life of peasants in history compares to farmers today?
•Why do you think the word "peasant" can sometimes sound negative or old-fashioned now?
Fill in the blanks
1.In medieval times, peasants usually worked on ___ owned by nobles or kings.
2.Peasants often lived in ___ houses and had very simple lives.
3.The peasants rebelled because they had to pay ___ that seemed unfair.
4.Unlike nobles, peasants had little ___ or say in government decisions.
5.Peasants grew crops like wheat and vegetables to ___ for their families.
6.The word "peasants" is often used when talking about ___ societies or history.
7.Today, calling someone a "peasant" can sound ___ or insulting because of its old meaning.