plebs — Lewis & Short
plebs (in inscriptions often PLEPS), -bis, and archaic plēbēs († plēbis), is and ĕi (plebium, Prud. stef. 10, 709:
I
plebibus,Aug. Ep. 166), f. root ple-, fill; whence Gr. pi/mplhmi, plh/rhs; cf. plh= qos, multitude.
I Lit., the common people, the commons or commonalty, the plebeians (opp. the patricians, senators, and knights;
whereas populus signifies the collective people, including, therefore, the Senate),Cic. Leg. 3, 3, 10: plebes in hoc regi antistat loco, licet Lacrumare plebi, regi honeste non licet, Enn. ap. Hier. Epit. Nep. p. 590 Mign. (Trag. v. 271 Vahl.):
plebs a populo eo differt quo species a genere: nam appellatione populi universi cives significantur, connumeratis etiam patriciis et senatoribus: plebis autem appellatione sine patribus et senatu ceteri cives significantur,Just. Inst. 1, 2, 4; cf. Gai. Inst. 1, 3:
plebes dominandi studio permota a patribus secessit,Sall. C. 33, 3:
ita tribuni plebei creati duo,Liv. 2, 33, 2:
dum decem tribunos plebi faceret,id. 3, 65, 4:
non enim populi, sed plebis eum (sc.: tribunum plebis) magistratum esse,Liv. 2, 56:
populo plebique Romanae,Cic. Mur. 1, 1:
in duas partes ego civitatem divisam arbitror in patres, et plebem,Sall. Or. ad Caes. 2, 5; Liv. 2, 56:
Martia Roma triplex equitatu, plebe, senatu,Aus. Idyll. 11, 78.—
II Transf., in gen.
A The great mass, the multitude:
in Hyrcaniā, plebs publicos alit canes, optimates domesticos,Cic. Tusc. 1, 45, 108:
plebem et infimam multitudinem delinire,id. Mil. 35, 95.—
B With accessory notion of contempt, the populace, the lower class or order, the mass (poet. and in post-Aug. prose):
multitudo de plebe,Liv. 5, 39:
si quadringentis sex septem millia desunt, Plebs eris,you shall be plebeian, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 59:
misera,id. S. 1, 8, 10:
ventosa,id. Ep. 1, 19, 37:
immensa nimiaque,Juv. 11, 194.—Among the gods:
plebs Superūm, Fauni, Satyrique, Laresque, Fluminaque, et Nymphae, Semideūmque genus,Ov. Ib. 81.—Of bees, a stock, swarm, hive (meaning the great mass, opp. to the queen); in plur. (rare):
tres alveorum plebes,Col. 9, 11, 1: corona plebium, Prud. stef. 10, 709.—
C The whole people, nation, community, = populus (late Lat.), Vulg. Gen. 23, 13:
plebs tua Israel,id. Luc. 2, 32 et saep.