Populace
/ˈpɒp.jə.ləs/noun
The general population or ordinary people of a place.
Did you know?Populace ultimately descends from Latin populus, the same word-family that produced political terms such as public and republic—revealing how deeply “the people” is embedded in civic language.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Italic, before 500 BCE
Proto-Italic
*poplos
“People or population; the reconstructed ancestor of Latin populus”
Classical Latin
Latin
populus
“A people, nation, population, or the citizens of a state”
Medieval Latin
Latin
populace
“The people or common population, influenced by Romance forms”
15th Century
Italian
popolaccio
“The common people or rabble; a pejorative form related to popolo, “people””
16th Century
French
populace
“The common people or the mass of the population”
16th Century–Modern English
English
populace
“The general population, especially ordinary people considered collectively”