bourgeois

See also: Bourgeois

English

WOTD – 15 March 2008

Alternative forms

• burgeois

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 (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)ʒwɑː, -ʊə(ɹ)ʒwɑː, -ɑː

Adjective

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.

Synonyms

• (conventional, conservative): square

Derived terms

• antibourgeois
• bobo
• bougie
• bourgeoisification
• bourgeoisify
• bourgeoisly
• bourgeoisness
• bourgie
• de-bourgeoisify
• narcobourgeois
• nonbourgeois
• postbourgeois
• semibourgeois
• unbourgeois

 

Translations

of or relating to the middle class

• Arabic: بُرْجُوَازِيّ (burjuwāziyy)
• Basque: burges
• Belarusian: буржуа́зны (buržuázny)
• Bulgarian: буржоа́зен (bg) (buržoázen)
• Catalan: burgès (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 有产阶级 (zh) (yǒuchǎnjiējí)

• Czech: buržoazní
• Danish: borgerlig
• Dutch: burgerlijk (nl)
• Finnish: porvarillinen (fi), keskiluokkainen (fi)
• French: bourgeois (fr)
• German: bourgeois (de), bürgerlich (de)
• Hebrew: בּוּרגָנִי
• Hungarian: középosztálybeli (hu)
• Indonesian: borjuis (id), orang borjuis, kelas menengah (id)
• Irish: meánaicmeach, buirgéiseach
• Italian: borghese (it)
• Kapampangan: burgis
• Kazakh: буржуазиялық (burjuaziälyq)
• Macedonian: буржоа́ски (buržoáski)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: borgerlig

• Polish: burżuazyjny (pl)
• Portuguese: burguês (pt)
• Romanian: burghez (ro), burjui (ro)
• Russian: буржуа́зный (ru) (buržuáznyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: буржујски, буржоаски

  Roman: buržujski, buržoaski

• Slovak: buržoázny
• Slovene: buržoazen
• Spanish: burgués
• Swedish: borgerlig (sv)
• Tagalog: arianin, burgis
• Ukrainian: буржуа́зний (buržuáznyj)

conventional, conservative and materialistic

• Arabic: بُرْجُوَازِيّ (burjuwāziyy)
• Catalan: burgès (ca)
• Danish: borgerlig
• Finnish: keskiluokkainen (fi), poroporvarillinen
• French: bourgeois (fr)
• German: spießig (de), spießbürgerlich (de)
• Hungarian: nyárspolgári (hu), nyárspolgárias
• Irish: buirgéiseach
• Russian: обыва́тельский (ru) (obyvátelʹskij)
• Spanish: burgués, aburguesado (es)
• Swedish: borgerlig (sv)

of or relating to capitalist exploitation

• Arabic: بُرْجُوَازِيّ (burjuwāziyy)
• Belarusian: буржуа́зны (buržuázny)
• Bulgarian: буржоа́зен (bg) (buržoázen)
• Czech: buržoazní
• Finnish: porvarillinen (fi)
• Hebrew: בּוּרגָנִי
• Hungarian: burzsoá (hu)
• Irish: buirgéiseach
• Kazakh: буржуазиялық (burjuaziälyq)
• Macedonian: буржоа́ски (buržoáski)
• Polish: burżuazyjny (pl)
• Portuguese: burguês (pt)
• Russian: буржуа́зный (ru) (buržuáznyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: буржујски, буржоаски

  Roman: buržujski, buržoaski

• Slovak: buržoázny
• Slovene: buržoazen
• Ukrainian: буржуа́зний (buržuáznyj)

Noun

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. (history) 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.

Related terms

• bourgeoise
• bourgeoisie
• embourgeoisement
• épater le bourgeois
• petit-bourgeois
• petit bourgeois
• petty-bourgeois
• petty bourgeois

 

Translations

the middle class

• Arabic: بُرْجُوَازِيَّة f (burjuwāziyya)
• Basque: burges
• Belarusian: буржуазі́я f (buržuazíja), мяшча́нства n (mjaščánstva)
• Bulgarian: буржоа́зия (bg) f (buržoázija)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 中產階級／中产阶级 (zh) (zhōngchǎn jiējí)

• Czech: buržoazie f
• Esperanto: burĝaro
• Finnish: keskiluokka (fi)
• Indonesian: borjuis (id)
• Irish: meánaicme f
• Macedonian: буржоазија f (buržoazija)
• Polish: burżuazja (pl) f
• Russian: буржуази́я (ru) f (buržuazíja), меща́нство (ru) n (meščánstvo)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: буржоа́зија f

  Roman: buržoázija (sh) f

• Slovak: buržoázia (sk) f
• Slovene: buržoazija f, meščanstvo n
• Tagalog: burgis
• Ukrainian: буржуазі́я f (buržuazíja), міща́нство n (miščánstvo)

individual member of the middle class

• Belarusian: буржуа́ m (buržuá), буржу́й m (buržúj) (colloquial), мешчані́н m (mješčanín), мяшча́нка f (mjaščánka)
• Bulgarian: буржоа́ m (buržoá)
• Czech: měšťák (cs) m, buržuj (cs) m
• Esperanto: burĝo (eo)
• Finnish: porvari (fi)
• French: bourgeois (fr) m, bourgeoise (fr) f
• German: Bourgeois (de) m
• Indonesian: borjuis (id)
• Irish: buirgéiseach m
• Italian: borghese (it) m or f
• Macedonian: буржуј m (buržuj), буржујка f (buržujka)
• Polish: burżuj (pl) m, mieszczanin (pl) m, mieszczanka (pl) f
• Portuguese: burguês (pt) m, burguesa f
• Romanian: burghez (ro) m
• Russian: буржуа́ (ru) m (buržuá), буржу́й (ru) m (buržúj) (colloquial), мещани́н (ru) m (meščanín), меща́нка (ru) f (meščánka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бу̀ржӯј m

  Roman: bùržūj (sh) m

• Slovak: meštiak m, buržuj m
• Slovene: buržuj m
• Tagalog: burgis
• Ukrainian: буржуа́ (uk) m (buržuá), буржу́й (uk) m (buržúj) (colloquial), міщани́н m (miščanýn), міща́нка f (miščánka)

person with bourgeois values

• Czech: měšťák (cs) m
• Finnish: porvari (fi), poroporvari (fi)
• Indonesian: borjuis (id)
• Russian: обыва́тель (ru) m (obyvátelʹ), обыва́тельница (ru) f (obyvátelʹnica), мещани́н (ru) m (meščanín), меща́нка (ru) f (meščánka)
• Tagalog: burgis
• Turkish: burjuva (tr), kentsoylu (tr)

member of the Third Estate

• Finnish: porvari (fi)
• Indonesian: borjuis (id)
• Russian: буржуа́ (ru) m (buržuá)
• Tagalog: burgis

exploitive capitalist

• Czech: buržoa m
• Danish: burgøjser (da) c
• Finnish: porvari (fi), lahtari (fi)
• Indonesian: borjuis (id)
• Russian: буржуа́ (ru) m (buržuá), буржу́й (ru) m (buržúj) (colloquial)
• Tagalog: burgis

Verb

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

1. (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.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

bourgeois (uncountable)

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

Synonyms

• (Continental printing): galliard

Derived terms

• double bourgeois

Translations

9-point type

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小五 (xiǎowǔ)

• Dutch: borgis, burgeois, bourgeois (nl)
• French: petit-romain (fr), gaillarde (fr)
• German: Borgis, Bourgeois (de)
• Italian: gagliarda (it)
• Spanish: breviario (es)

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French bourgeois.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /burˈʒʋaː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bour‧geois
• Rhymes: -aː

Noun

bourgeois m (plural bourgeois, diminutive bourgeoistje n)

1. bourgeois

Related terms

• bourgeoisie
• burgerij

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.

By surface analysis, bourg +‎ -ois.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /buʁ.ʒwa/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

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

1. bourgeois

Derived terms

• bourgeoisement
• embourgeoiser

Noun

bourgeois m (plural bourgeois, feminine bourgeoise)

1. A member of the middle class
   • 1680, Molière, “Acte IV, Scene V”, in Le Bourgeois gentilhomme [The Middle-Class Aristocrat]‎^[1], page 89:

     Le Mufti commande aux Turcs de baſtonner le Bourgeois, […]

     The mufti orders the Turks to batter the bourgeois, […]

2. bourgeois
3. (archaic) an inhabitant of a town or city
4. (archaic) someone who belongs to neither the aristocratic, clerical, nor military classes

Synonyms

• bourge (slang)

Derived terms

• bourgeoisie
• parloir aux bourgeois

Descendants

• → Czech: buržoa
• → Dutch: bourgeois
• → English: bourgeois
• → Esperanto: burĝo
• → German: bourgeois
• → Indonesian: borjuis
• → Macedonian: буржуј (buržuj)
• → Russian: буржуа́ (buržuá)
  • → Georgian: ბურჟუა (buržua)

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)

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

Declension

Positive forms of bourgeois

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist bourgeois	sie ist bourgeois	es ist bourgeois	sie sind bourgeois
strong declension (without article)	nominative	bourgeoiser	bourgeoise	bourgeoises	bourgeoise
	genitive	bourgeoisen	bourgeoiser	bourgeoisen	bourgeoiser
	dative	bourgeoisem	bourgeoiser	bourgeoisem	bourgeoisen
	accusative	bourgeoisen	bourgeoise	bourgeoises	bourgeoise
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der bourgeoise	die bourgeoise	das bourgeoise	die bourgeoisen
	genitive	des bourgeoisen	der bourgeoisen	des bourgeoisen	der bourgeoisen
	dative	dem bourgeoisen	der bourgeoisen	dem bourgeoisen	den bourgeoisen
	accusative	den bourgeoisen	die bourgeoise	das bourgeoise	die bourgeoisen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein bourgeoiser	eine bourgeoise	ein bourgeoises	(keine) bourgeoisen
	genitive	eines bourgeoisen	einer bourgeoisen	eines bourgeoisen	(keiner) bourgeoisen
	dative	einem bourgeoisen	einer bourgeoisen	einem bourgeoisen	(keinen) bourgeoisen
	accusative	einen bourgeoisen	eine bourgeoise	ein bourgeoises	(keine) bourgeoisen

Comparative forms of bourgeois

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist bourgeoiser	sie ist bourgeoiser	es ist bourgeoiser	sie sind bourgeoiser
strong declension (without article)	nominative	bourgeoiserer	bourgeoisere	bourgeoiseres	bourgeoisere
	genitive	bourgeoiseren	bourgeoiserer	bourgeoiseren	bourgeoiserer
	dative	bourgeoiserem	bourgeoiserer	bourgeoiserem	bourgeoiseren
	accusative	bourgeoiseren	bourgeoisere	bourgeoiseres	bourgeoisere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der bourgeoisere	die bourgeoisere	das bourgeoisere	die bourgeoiseren
	genitive	des bourgeoiseren	der bourgeoiseren	des bourgeoiseren	der bourgeoiseren
	dative	dem bourgeoiseren	der bourgeoiseren	dem bourgeoiseren	den bourgeoiseren
	accusative	den bourgeoiseren	die bourgeoisere	das bourgeoisere	die bourgeoiseren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein bourgeoiserer	eine bourgeoisere	ein bourgeoiseres	(keine) bourgeoiseren
	genitive	eines bourgeoiseren	einer bourgeoiseren	eines bourgeoiseren	(keiner) bourgeoiseren
	dative	einem bourgeoiseren	einer bourgeoiseren	einem bourgeoiseren	(keinen) bourgeoiseren
	accusative	einen bourgeoiseren	eine bourgeoisere	ein bourgeoiseres	(keine) bourgeoiseren

Superlative forms of bourgeois

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am bourgeoisesten	sie ist am bourgeoisesten	es ist am bourgeoisesten	sie sind am bourgeoisesten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	bourgeoisester	bourgeoiseste	bourgeoisestes	bourgeoiseste
	genitive	bourgeoisesten	bourgeoisester	bourgeoisesten	bourgeoisester
	dative	bourgeoisestem	bourgeoisester	bourgeoisestem	bourgeoisesten
	accusative	bourgeoisesten	bourgeoiseste	bourgeoisestes	bourgeoiseste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der bourgeoiseste	die bourgeoiseste	das bourgeoiseste	die bourgeoisesten
	genitive	des bourgeoisesten	der bourgeoisesten	des bourgeoisesten	der bourgeoisesten
	dative	dem bourgeoisesten	der bourgeoisesten	dem bourgeoisesten	den bourgeoisesten
	accusative	den bourgeoisesten	die bourgeoiseste	das bourgeoiseste	die bourgeoisesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein bourgeoisester	eine bourgeoiseste	ein bourgeoisestes	(keine) bourgeoisesten
	genitive	eines bourgeoisesten	einer bourgeoisesten	eines bourgeoisesten	(keiner) bourgeoisesten
	dative	einem bourgeoisesten	einer bourgeoisesten	einem bourgeoisesten	(keinen) bourgeoisesten
	accusative	einen bourgeoisesten	eine bourgeoiseste	ein bourgeoisestes	(keine) bourgeoisesten

See also

• Bourgeoisie
• bürgerlich
• proletarisch

Further reading

• “bourgeois” in Duden online
• “bourgeois” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache