Bourgeoisie
/ˌbʊər.ʒwɑːˈziː/noun
The social class of property owners and the middle class, especially in capitalist society.
Did you know?Bourgeoisie comes from a word for a town resident, but in Marxist history it became the loaded label for the class accused of owning the means of production and shaping modern society.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*burgz
“fortified place, stronghold”
Old English
OE
burh
“fortified town, borough”
Old French
OF
burgeis
“townsman, inhabitant of a borough”
Middle French
MF
bourgeoisie
“the body or class of townspeople; later, the middle class”
Modern English
English
bourgeoisie
“the middle class, especially in relation to ownership and economic power”