Proprietor
/prəˈpriːtər/noun
A person who owns something, especially a business or property.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin legal language, where a *proprietor* was literally the person with full ownership rights, not just someone who ran the place.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
proprietārius
“pertaining to ownership; a person with ownership rights”
Late Latin
Latin
proprietor
“owner; possessor”
Middle French
Old French
proprietaire
“owner, proprietor”
14th-15th Century
English
proprietour
“one who owns something, especially land or a business”
Modern English
English
proprietor
“an owner, especially of a business or property”
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