bourgeois

• burgeois

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.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔːʒ.wɑː/, /ˈbʊəʒ.wɑː/

• Audio (UK)

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• (US) IPA^(key): /bu(ɹ)ʒ.ˈwɑː/, /ˈbu(ɹ)ʒ.wɑː/, /ˈbʊəʒ.wɑː/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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bourgeois (comparative more bourgeois, superlative most bourgeois)

1. Of or relating to the middle class, (often derogatory) their presumed overly conventional, conservative, and materialistic values.

   bourgeois opinion

2. (historical) Of or relating to the bourgeoisie, the third estate of the French Ancien Regime.
3. (Marxism) Of or relating to the capitalist class, (usually derogatory) the capitalist exploitation of the proletariat.

• (conventional, conservative): square

• bougie
• bourgeoisification
• bourgeoisify
• bourgie
• de-bourgeoisify

bourgeois (usually uncountable, plural bourgeois)

1. (politics, collectively, usually in the plural) The middle class.
2. (rare) An individual member of the middle class.
3. (usually derogatory) A person of any class with bourgeois (i.e., overly conventional and materialistic) values and attitudes.
4. (historical) An individual member of the bourgeoisie, the third estate of the French Ancien Regime.
5. (Marxism) A capitalist, (usually derogatory) an exploiter of the proletariat.

• bourgeoise
• bourgeoisie
• embourgeoisement

bourgeois (third-person singular simple present bourgeoises, present participle bourgeoising, simple past and past participle bourgeoised)

1. (transitive) To make bourgeois.

• "bourgeois" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 45.

From Middle English burjois, from French Bourgois, probably from Bourges (“the French city”) + -ois (“forming adjectives”) but possibly from bourgeois above or from Jean de Bouregois who worked as a printer in Rouen c. 1500.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bəːˈdʒɔɪs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /bəɹˈdʒɔɪs/, enPR: bər-ʹjois

bourgeois (uncountable)

1. (printing, dated) A size of type between brevier and long primer, standardized as 9-point.

• (Continental printing): galliard

• double bourgeois

Borrowed from French bourgeois.

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bourgeois m (plural bourgeois, diminutive bourgeoistje n)

1. bourgeois

• bourgeoisie
• burgerij

From Old French borgeis (“town dweller”), from borc (“fortified place, 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. Compare Italian borghese, Portuguese burguês, Spanish burgués.

Synchronically analysable as bourg +‎ -ois.

• IPA^(key): /buʁ.ʒwa/

• audio

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

1. bourgeois

• bourgeoisement
• embourgeoiser

bourgeois m (plural bourgeois, feminine bourgeoise)

1. member of the middle class
2. bourgeois

• bourge (slang)

• bourgeoisie

• “bourgeois” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

From French, itself from a Germanic origin.

• 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)

bourgeois (comparative bourgeoiser, superlative am bourgeoisesten)

1. bourgeois
2. snobbish, elitist (in the context of the upper middle class)

• bourgeois in Duden online