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underclass

 - 3 dictionary results

un⋅der⋅class

  [uhn-der-klas, -klahs]
Use underclass in a Sentence
–noun
a social stratum consisting of impoverished persons with very low social status.
Origin:
1915–20; under- + class

Usage note:
See collective noun.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To underclass
un·der·class   (ŭn'dər-klās')   
n.  The lowest societal stratum, usually composed of the disadvantaged: "Divorced women and their children are becoming a new underclass" (Barbara Fisher Williamson).
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

underclass 
"subordinate social class," 1918, from under + class (n.). A loan-translation of Swed. underklass.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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