People in general; SYN. common people.

[spannish]

ETYM Latin mortalitas: cf. French mortalité.
The quality or state of being mortal.

ETYM Old Eng. peple, people, Old Fren. pueple, French peuple, from Latin populus. Related to Populage, Public, Pueblo.
1. Members of a family line.
2. (Plural) Any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively.

Illegal emigrants traveling by sea, especially those Vietnamese who left their country after the takeover of South Vietnam 1975 by North Vietnam. Some 160,000 Vietnamese fled to Hong Kong, many being attacked at sea by Thai pirates, and in 1989 50,000 remained there in cramped, squalid refugee camps. The uk government began forced repatriation 1990.
Some 500,000 se Asians became refugees in this way 1975–82 with an estimated 10–15% mortality rate. Only 10% of those who have arrived in Hong Kong since the policy of “screening” (questioning about reasons for leaving Vietnam) began 1988 have been given refugee status; the others are classified as “economic migrants”. In 1990 the total number of boat people in se Asia was about 90,000, an increase of 30,000 from 1988. The term “boat people” has also been used for Cuban and Haitian refugees who reach Florida, us, by boat. More than 2,400 entered the us from Cuba 1991; there was a further influx from Cuba 1994. Numbers from Haiti fell after the reinstatement of democratic government on the island Sept 1994.

Someone of remarkable excellence.