n.
Pronunciation: ˌ pr ō -l ə - ' ter- ē - ə t, - ē - ˌ at
Function: noun
Etymology: French prolétariat, from Latin proletarius
Date: 1852
1 : the laboring class especially : the class of industrial workers who lack their own means of production and hence sell their labor to live
2 : the lowest social or economic class of a community