What is the meaning of the Greek phrase "hoi polloi?"

Hoi polloi is an expression from ancient Greek which means "the people." In English, the word has taken on a derogatory meaning, "the masses", with synonyms such as the great unwashed, or the uneducated. Merriam-Webster Dictionary identifies 2 uses: "1. the general populace: masses," and "2. people of distinction or wealth or elevated social status:elite". However, it explains that critics warn against its second meaning, indicating sense 2 is not mentioned in other dictionaries and directly contradicts the original meaning. Further, Merriam-Webster indicates that sense 2 was only common in certain geographic areas in the 1950s.

The phrase came into use in the English speaking world in the 1800s, when well-educated people were familiar with Greek and Latin. James Fenimore Cooper used the first recorded use of the term in English in "The Last of the Mohicans" (1837). Nearly 100 years later, The Three Stooges starred in a film called "Hoi Polloi" (1935). A 21st century Scottish punk band has taken the name, and even Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard claimed the existence of a race of extraterretial invaders called the Hoipolloi.

In an episode of This American Life, radio host Ira Glass quipped "Q does not belong in the middle of the alphabet where it is, with the hoi polloi of the alphabet, with your 'm' 'n' and 'p'. Letters that will just join any word for the asking."