n.1 esp. colloq. a countryman or countrywoman; a rustic.
2 a a worker on the land, esp. a labourer or smallholder. b hist. a member of an agricultural class dependent on subsistence farming.
3 derog. a lout; a boorish person.
Derivatives:
peasantry n. (pl. -ies). peasanty adj.
Etymology: ME f. AF paisant, OF pa{iuml}sent, earlier pa{iuml}sence f. pa{iuml}s country ult. f. L pagus canton