1. peasants collectively; the peasant class or population
Usage: archaic or literary; often used in historical or sociological contexts

Examples

• The medieval peasanty worked the land for feudal lords.
• Historians studied the customs of the European peasanty.
• The uprising was led by members of the peasanty who sought better conditions.
• The peasanty formed the backbone of the agricultural economy.
• Literature of the period often depicted the struggles of the peasanty.