Hoi polloi definition

From , and .

As represents a definite article in Ancient Greek, some authorities consider that the construction the hoi polloi is redundant and should not be used in English.
Confusingly, the second definition is opposed to the first; it arose from a misunderstanding of the term, probably under influence of such terms as .

the canaille, the common people, the great unwashed, the herd, the many, the masses, the multitude, the peasantry , the proletariat , the rabble, the rank-and-file, the riffraff, the working class