bourgeois

English

WOTD – 15 March 2008    

Alternative forms

• burgeois

Etymology

Borrowed from French bourgeois (“a class of citizens who were wealthier members of the Third Estate”), from Anglo-Norman burgeis (“town dweller”), from Old French borjois, from borc (“town”), from Proto-Germanic *burgz (“fortress”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrgʰ- (“fortified elevation”). The path from Proto-Germanic to Old French is unclear. Perhaps via Frankish *burg or Late Latin *burgus, or possibly both. See also the related word burgess.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈbɔːʒ.wɑː/, /ˈbʊəʒ.wɑː/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (US) IPA: /buɹʒ.ˈwɑː/, /ˈbuɹʒ.wɑː/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

bourgeois (comparative more bourgeois, superlative most bourgeois)

1. Of or relating to the middle class, especially its attitudes and conventions.
2. Belonging to the middle class.
3. Conventional, conservative and materialistic.

   bourgeois opinion

4. (Marxism) Of or relating to capitalist exploitation of the proletariat.

Derived terms

• bougie
• bourgeoisification
• bourgie

Synonyms

• (conventional, conservative): square

Translations

of or relating to the middle class

• Basque: burges (eu)
• Finnish: porvarillinen (fi), keskiluokkainen (fi)
• French: bourgeois (fr)
• German: bourgeois (de)

• Indonesian: borjuis, orang borjuis, kelas menengah
• Portuguese: burguês (pt) m, burguesa (pt) f
• Spanish: burgués (es) m

belonging to the middle class

• Finnish: porvarillinen (fi), keskiluokkainen (fi)

• Portuguese: burguês (pt) m, burguesa (pt) f

conventional, conservative and materialistic

• Finnish: keskiluokkainen (fi), poroporvarillinen (fi)
• French: bourgeois (fr)

• German: spießig (de)

of capitalist exploitation

• Finnish: porvarillinen (fi)
• Portuguese: burguês (pt)

• Russian: буржуазный (ru) (buržuaznyj)

Noun

bourgeois (uncountable)

1. (politics, collectively) The middle class.
2. (rare) An individual member of the middle class.
3. A person with bourgeois values and attitudes.
4. An individual member of the bourgeoisie, one of the three estates.
5. (Marxism) Anyone deemed to be an exploiter of the proletariat, a capitalist.
6. (printing) A size of type between long primer and brevier.

Related terms

• bourgeoise
• bourgeoisie
• embourgeoisement

Translations

the middle class

• Basque: burges (eu)
• Esperanto: burĝaro (eo)

• Finnish: keskiluokka (fi)

individual member of the middle class

• Esperanto: burĝo (eo)
• Finnish: porvari (fi)

• Portuguese: burguês (pt) m, burguesa (pt) f

person with bourgeois values

• Finnish: porvari (fi), poroporvari (fi)

member of the bourgeoisie estate

• Finnish: porvari (fi)

capitalist

• Finnish: porvari (fi)

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French bourgeois.

Noun

bourgeois m (plural bourgeois, diminutive bourgeoistje)

1. bourgeois

Related terms

• bourgeoisie
• burgerij

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French

Etymology

Anglo-Norman burgeis (“town dweller”), from Old French borjois, from borc (“town”), from Proto-Germanic *burgz (“fortress”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrgʰ- (“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 intermediate burgensis. Cf. Italian borghese, Portuguese burguês, Spanish burgués.

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

bourgeois m (feminine bourgeoise, masculine plural bourgeois, feminine plural bourgeoises)

1. bourgeois

Derived terms

• bourgeoisement

Noun

bourgeois m (plural bourgeois; feminine bourgeoise, plural bourgeoises)

1. member of the middle class
2. bourgeois

Synonyms

• (slang) bourge

Derived terms

• bourgeoisie

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German

Etymology

From French, itself from a Germanic origin.

Adjective

bourgeois (comparative bourgeoiser, superlative am bourgeoisesten)

1. bourgeois