Who Said Hoi Polloi?
'Hoi Polloi' Is an Ancient Greek Phrase Meaning 'The Many' or 'The Masses'. It Is Used Disparagingly by Modern English Speakers to Refer to the Masses: the...
'Hoi polloi' is an Ancient Greek phrase meaning 'the many' or 'the masses'. It is used disparagingly by modern English speakers to refer to the masses: the common horde, the plebs, the working classes etc. The first recorded use in English is by
Where does the expression hoi polloi originate?
Did you know? In Greek, hoi polloi means simply "the many". (Even though hoi itself means "the", in English we almost always say "the hoi polloi".) It comes originally from the famous Funeral Oration by Pericles, where it was actually used in a positive way.
What does Hoi mean in Greek?
hoi pol·loi
The common people; the masses. [Greek, the many : hoi, nominative pl. of ho, the; see so- in Indo-European roots + polloi, nominative pl.
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