The many; the masses.

A term applied to the masses or the common, ordinary people and not the elite.

"The" is not needed in front of hoi polloi, because hoi means "the". Purists who maintain the redundancy of "the" probably are fighting a losing battle because many professional writers continue to use "the hoi polloi".

The phrase also has derogatory implications, often being equated with the "rabble" and "the rag-tag masses".

There are some who suggest that the problems of proper usage can be avoided by not using the expression at all.

This term, hoi, means "the"; so, The hoi polloi means: The the polloi (common people).