# people

Pronunciation: say "PEE-puhl" US /ˈpi.pl̩/, UK /ˈpiː.pl̩/

## Noun

1. Plural of person. Human beings, either a particular number of them or humans in general, and by extension other beings thought of as persons. — plural of person: a body of persons considered generally or collectively; a group of two or more persons.
   - Simple: Plural of person. Men, women, and children, some or all of them, and sometimes other beings thought of as persons.
   - _Thousands of people gathered in the square to hear the announcement._
   - _Most people agreed that the new schedule was an improvement._
2. A body of persons united by a common nation, culture, ethnicity, or other shared identity.
   - Simple: A group joined together by the same country, culture, or family background.
   - _The treaty recognized them as a sovereign people with their own laws._
   - _The exhibition celebrates the indigenous peoples of the northern coast._
3. The relatives, ancestors, or family that a person belongs to.
   - Simple: Someone's family members and close relatives.
   - _My people came from a small village high in the mountains._
   - _He introduced her to his people at the holiday gathering._
4. The employees, followers, servants, or supporters who work for or under a particular person or leader.
   - Simple: The people who work for someone or follow and serve a leader.
   - _Have your people contact mine to set up the meeting._
   - _The director trusts her people to handle the smaller details._
5. The general body of a community as distinct from a privileged or ruling class; the common populace.
   - Simple: Ordinary members of a community, not the rich or powerful few.
   - _The revolution promised to return power to the people._
   - _For centuries the people labored while the nobility grew rich._

## Verb

6. To fill a place with inhabitants; to populate it.
   - Simple: To fill a place with people who will live there.
   - _The crown sought to people the frontier with loyal settlers._
   - _Waves of immigrants peopled the empty valley within a single decade._
7. To live in or occupy a place as its inhabitants; to inhabit it.
   - Simple: To live in or fill up a place as its inhabitants.
   - _The characters who people her novels are drawn from her own small town._
   - _Nomadic herders once peopled these high plateaus._
9. To interact socially with others; to socialize. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To spend time with others and be social.
   - _Some days I simply don't have the energy to people._
   - _I peopled all weekend at the wedding, so tonight I'm staying in._

## Verb

8. To grow populous; to become filled with inhabitants. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To become full of people over time.

## Origin

"People" comes from Middle English puple, borrowed through Anglo-Norman and Old French from Latin populus ("a people, nation"), which traces back through Old Latin to Proto-Italic *poplos ("army"), of unknown origin. It is a doublet of pueblo and gradually ousted the native English words lede and, in part, folk.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/people (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).