groundling

[ ground-ling ]
/ ˈgraʊnd lɪŋ /

noun

a plant or animal that lives on or close to the ground.
any of various fishes that live at the bottom of the water.
a spectator, reader, or other person of unsophisticated or uncultivated tastes; an uncritical or uncultured person.
a member of a theater audience who sits in one of the cheaper seats.

Origin of groundling

First recorded in 1595–1605; ground1 + -ling1

Example sentences from the Web for groundling

British Dictionary definitions for groundling

groundling
/ (ˈɡraʊndlɪŋ) /

noun

any animal or plant that lives close to the ground or at the bottom of a lake, river, etc
  1. (in Elizabethan theatre) a spectator standing in the yard in front of the stage and paying least
  2. a spectator in the cheapest section of any theatre
a person on the ground as distinguished from one in an aircraft