The masses; the populace: the concerns of the multitude.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin multitūdō, from multus, many; see mel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These nouns all denote a very great number of people or things. Multitude is the most general term: a multitude of reasons. Host and legion both stress impressively, sometimes countlessly large numbers: a host of ideas; a legion of complaints. Army emphasizes order and often purposeful association: an army of ants.