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Definition of populace - 3 dictionary results

pop⋅u⋅lace

  [pop-yuh-luhs]
Use populace in a Sentence
–noun
1. the common people of a community, nation, etc., as distinguished from the higher classes.
2. all the inhabitants of a place; population.
Origin:
1565–75; < F < It popolaccio, equiv. to popol(o) people + -accio pejorative suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pop·u·lace   (pŏp'yə-lĭs)   
n.  

  1. The general public; the masses.

  2. A population.


[French, from Italian popolaccio, rabble, from popolo, the people, from Latin populus; see popular.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

populace 
1572, from M.Fr. populace, from It. popolaccio "riffraff, rabble," from popolo "people" (from L. populus "people") + pejorative suffix -accio.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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