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. (politics, leftist terminology) Of or relating to capitalist exploitation of the working class.

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.

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)

German: spießig (de)

of capitalist exploitation

Finnish: porvarillinen (fi)

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.

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)

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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. (f. bourgeoise, m. plural bourgeois, f. 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