people

Meanings

Noun

• ; a body of human beings considered generally or collectively; a group of two or more persons.
• Persons forming or belonging to a particular group, such as a nation, class, ethnic group, country, family, etc.
• A group of persons regarded as being employees, followers, companions or subjects of a ruler.
• One's colleagues or employees.
• A person's ancestors, relatives or family.
• The mass of a community as distinguished from a special class (elite); the commonalty; the populace; the vulgar; the common crowd; the citizens.
• Plural of person.

Verb

• To stock with people or inhabitants; to fill as with people; to populate.
• To become populous or populated.
• To inhabit; to occupy; to populate.
• To interact with people; to socialize.

Origin

• From Middle English puple, peple, peeple, from , from , peuple, pople, from , from Old Latin populus, from earlier poplus, from even earlier poplos, from Proto-Italic *poplos of unknown origin. Gradually ousted native English lede and, partially, folk.
• Originally a singular noun (e.g. The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness –2 Samuel 17:29, King James Version, spelling modernized), the plural aspect of people is probably due to influence from Middle English lede, leed, a plural since Old English times (compare Old English leod ("people, men, persons"), plural of Old English lēod ("man, person")). See also lede, leod.