LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

plēbēius1

plēbēius (feminine plēbēia, neuter plēbēium)
Classical[pɫeːˈbeː.jʊs]Ecclesiastical[pleˈbɛː.jus]

Meaning

  1. adjectiverelationalplebeian, of or from the plebs
  2. adjectiveof the common people or populace, vulgar
  3. adjectivemean, low

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeplēbēiusplēbēiaplēbēium
genitiveplēbēiī
plēbēī		plēbēiaeplēbēiī
plēbēī
dativeplēbēiōplēbēiaeplēbēiō
accusativeplēbēiumplēbēiamplēbēium
ablativeplēbēiōplēbēiāplēbēiō
vocativeplēbēieplēbēiaplēbēium
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeplēbēiīplēbēiaeplēbēia
genitiveplēbēiōrumplēbēiārumplēbēiōrum
dativeplēbēiīsplēbēiīsplēbēiīs
accusativeplēbēiōsplēbēiāsplēbēia
ablativeplēbēiīsplēbēiīsplēbēiīs
vocativeplēbēiīplēbēiaeplēbēia

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

homo plebeius, de plebe
one of the people.

plēbēĭus (-ējus), a, um, adj. id..
I. Of or belonging to the common people or commonalty, plebeian (opp. to patricius), Liv. 4, 4, 11; Cic. Fam. 9, 21: familia, id. Mur. 7, 15: consul, Liv. 6, 40; 10, 23: Pudicitia, the goddess of Chastity of the plebeians, as there was also a Pudicitia patricia, id. ib.; cf. Fest. p. 237 Müll.: ludi, popular sports, shows instituted by the commonalty, Liv. 29, 38 fin.: fatum (opp. divitibus responsa data), Juv. 6, 588: Deciorum animae, id. 8, 254.—Subst.: plēbēĭus, i, m., a plebeian, Enn. ap. Fest. s. v. mutire, p. 145 Müll. (Trag. v. 376 Vahl.); Paul. Sent. 5, 4, 10.—
II. Transf., in a contemptuous sense, plebeian (opp. to refined, elevated), common, vulgar, mean, low (class.): quamquam nos videmur tibi plebei et pauperes, Plaut. Poen. 3, 1, 12: licet concurrant omnes plebei philosophi; sic enim ii, qui a Platone, et Socrate, et ab eā familiā dissident, appellandi videntur, i. e. the Epicureans), Cic. Tusc. 1, 23, 55: purpura plebeia ac paene fusca, id. Sest. 8, 19: vina, Plin. 14, 6, 8, § 69: charta, id. 13, 22, 23,—75: gemma, id. 37, 9, 45, § 128: sermo, Cic. Fam. 9, 21, 3.—Adverb., Petr. 93.

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin plēbēius From plēbēs + -ius.

noun · masculinesecond declension
plēbēius2
plēbēius m (genitive plēbēiī or plēbēī)
Classical[pɫeːˈbeː.jʊs]Ecclesiastical[pleˈbɛː.jus]

Meaning

  1. plebeian

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeplēbēiusplēbēiī
genitiveplēbēiī
plēbēī		plēbēiōrum
dativeplēbēiōplēbēiīs
accusativeplēbēiumplēbēiōs
ablativeplēbēiōplēbēiīs
vocativeplēbēieplēbēiī

Origins

Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin plēbēius From plēbēs + -ius.

Descendants
  • Catalanplebeu
  • Frenchplébéien
  • Englishplebeianfrom French plébéien
  • Romanianplebeianfrom French plébéien
  • GermanPlebejer
  • Italianplebeio
  • Italianplebeo
  • Portugueseplebeo
  • Portugueseplebeu
  • Romanianplebeu

Quick answers

What does plēbēius mean in Latin?
plēbēius, a adjective, means “plebeian, of or from the plebs; of the common people or populace, vulgar; mean, low”.
How do you pronounce plēbēius?
In classical Latin, [pɫeːˈbeː.jʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [pleˈbɛː.jus].