bourgeois
English
Alternative forms
Etymology 1
Borrowed from French bourgeois (“a class of citizens who were wealthier members of the Third Estate”), from Old French burgeis (“town dweller”), from Frankish *burg, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *burgz (“stronghold; city”) (whence borough). Doublet of burgess; compare also burgish.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈbɔːʒ.wɑː/, /ˈbʊəʒ.wɑː/
Audio (UK) (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /bʊɹʒˈwɑː/, /ˈbʊəʒ.wɑː/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (AU) (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)ʒwɑː, -ʊə(ɹ)ʒwɑː, -ɑː
Adjective
bourgeois (comparative more bourgeois, superlative most bourgeois)
- Of or relating to the middle class, (often derogatory) their presumed overly conventional, conservative, and materialistic values.
- bourgeois opinion
- (historical) Of or relating to the bourgeoisie, the third estate of the French Ancien Regime.
- (Marxism) Of or relating to the capitalist class, (usually derogatory) the capitalist exploitation of the proletariat.
Synonyms
- (conventional, conservative): square
Derived terms
Translations
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Noun
bourgeois (usually uncountable, plural bourgeois)
- (politics, collectively, usually in the plural) The middle class.
- (rare) An individual member of the middle class.
- (usually derogatory) A person of any class with bourgeois (i.e., overly conventional and materialistic) values and attitudes.
- (history) An individual member of the bourgeoisie, the third estate of the French Ancien Regime.
- (Marxism) A capitalist, (usually derogatory) an exploiter of the proletariat.
Related terms
Translations
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Verb
bourgeois (third-person singular simple present bourgeoises, present participle bourgeoising, simple past and past participle bourgeoised)
- (transitive) To make bourgeois.
Further reading
- "bourgeois" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 45.
Etymology 2
From Middle English burjois, from French Bourgois, probably from Bourges (“the French city”) + -ois (“forming adjectives”) but possibly from bourgeois above or after Jean de Bourgeois who worked as a printer in Rouen c. 1500.
Noun
bourgeois (uncountable)
Synonyms
- (Continental printing): galliard
Derived terms
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /burˈʒʋaː/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: bour‧geois
- Rhymes: -aː
Related terms
Descendants
- → Indonesian: borjuis
French
Etymology
Inherited from Middle French bourgois, from Old French borgeis (“town dweller”), from borc (“fortified place, town”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *burgz (“fortress”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰérǵʰs (“fortified elevation”).
The path from Proto-Germanic to Old French is unclear. Perhaps via Frankish *burg or Late Latin burgus, or possibly both, and probably through the Late Latin [Term?] intermediate burgensis. Compare Italian borghese, Portuguese burguês, Spanish burgués.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /buʁ.ʒwa/
audio (file)
Adjective
bourgeois (feminine bourgeoise, masculine plural bourgeois, feminine plural bourgeoises)
Derived terms
Noun
bourgeois m (plural bourgeois, feminine bourgeoise)
- A member of the middle class
- 1680, Molière, “Acte IV, Scene V”, in Le Bourgeois gentilhomme [The Middle-Class Aristocrat], page 89:
- Le Mufti commande aux Turcs de baſtonner le Bourgeois, […]
- The mufti orders the Turks to batter the bourgeois, […]
- bourgeois
- (archaic) an inhabitant of a town or city
- (archaic) someone who belongs to neither the aristocratic, clerical, nor military classes
Synonyms
- bourge (slang)
Derived terms
Descendants
Further reading
- “bourgeois”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
German
Etymology
Borrowed from French bourgeois, name for a wealthy class of French citizens in the late 18th century.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bʊrˈʒu̯aː/, [bʊʁˈʒʋaː], [ˌbʊʁ.ʒuˈaː], [bʊɐ̯-] (standard; basic form)
- IPA(key): /bʊrˈʒu̯aːz-/ (standard; inflected forms)
- IPA(key): /bʊrˈʃu̯aː(s-)/ (often in southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
Audio (file)
Adjective
bourgeois (strong nominative masculine singular bourgeoiser, comparative bourgeoiser, superlative am bourgeoisesten)