peasantry
small-scale farmers / agricultural laborers / rural lower class / state of being a peasant
Noun
This term describes a social class defined by agricultural labor and low status. It carries a strong historical connotation of feudalism and systemic inequality, often evoking images of rural hardship and subservience to a landed gentry. Grammatically, the word is a collective noun. While it refers to a group of people, it is treated as an uncountable mass noun when referring to the social class or the state of being a peasant, meaning it does not have a standard plural form like "peasantries" in common usage.
Meanings
Noun
Small-scale farmers and agricultural laborers of low social status, considered as a collective social class.
"The laws of the era were designed to keep the peasantry in a state of perpetual servitude."