A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1533-1549, 1650
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Plebien, -eane, -eian, n. [e.m.E. plebeian (1566), f. L. plēbēius belonging to the plebs. Cf. F. plébéien (14th c.).] a. A member of the plebs of ancient Rome. b. One of the common people; one of ‘low’ birth. —a. 1533 Bell. Livy II. 54/24.
That ane plebeane be nocht made consull 1533 Ib. 57/7. —b. 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 129/25.
There blude … vald hef na bettir cullour nor the blude of ane plebien or of ane mecanik craftis man 1650 Dumfries Kirk S. 10 Jan.
The two formest seats of that loft called the commons loft … hes bein … possest by plebeians who … uncivillie have rushed themselues thairin
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"Plebien n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/plebien>
