Pēo'ple1, n.
(pē'pl), n. [O. Eng. peple, pople, popille, O. Fr. pople, pueple, N. Fr. peuple, Pr. poble, pobol, Sp. pueblo, Pg. povo, It. popolo, Lat. populus; whence Ger. pöbel, the mob, rabble, populace.]
Sense 1. The body of persons who compose a community, tribe, nation, or race; an aggregate of individuals forming together a whole.
To him shall the gathering of the people be. Gen. xlix. 10.
The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer. Prov. xxx. 25.
Thou must prophesy again before many peoples. Rev. x. 11.
Earth's monarchs are her peoples. Whittier.
☞ People is a collective noun, generally construed with a plural verb, and only occasionally used in the plural in the sense of nations or races.
Sense 2. Hence, persons generally; an indefinite number or class; folks; population or part of population;—sometimes used as an indefinite subject of a verb, like on in French, and man in German.
People were tempted to lend by great premiums and large interest. Swift.
Sense 3. The mass of a community as distinguished from a special class, as the noble or clerical; the undistinguished crowd; the populace; the commonalty; the vulgar.
The knowing artist may judge better than the people. Waller.
Myself shall mount the rostrum in his favor, And strive to gain his pardon from the people. Addison.
One's people, or one's own people (Script.), ancestors; kindred; relations.
Synonyms—PEOPLE, NATION. When speaking of a state, we use people for the mass of the community, as distinguished from their rulers, and nation for the entire political body, including the rulers. In another sense of the term, nation describes those who are descended from the same stock; and in this sense the Germans regard themselves as one nation, though politically subject to different forms of government.
If lawe stonde with the right, The people is glad, and stont upright. Gower.
Mountains interposed Make enemies of nations, who had else, Like kindred drops, been mingled into one. Cowper.