bourgeois adj
1. (according to Marxist thought) being of the property-owning class and exploitive of the working class
2. conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class; "a bourgeois mentality" [syn: conservative, materialistic]
3. belonging to the middle class n
4. a capitalist who engages in industrial commercial enterprise [syn: businessperson]
5. a member of the middle class [syn: burgher]

Bourgeois \Bour*geois"\, n. [From a French type founder named Bourgeois, or fr. F. bourgeois of the middle class; hence applied to an intermediate size of type between brevier and long primer: cf. G. bourgeois, borgis. Cf. Burgess.] (Print.) A size of type between long primer and brevier. See Type. Note: This line is printed in bourgeois type.

Bourgeois \Bour*geois"\, n. [F., fr. bourg town; of German origin. See Burgess.] A man of middle rank in society; one of the shopkeeping class. [France.] a. Characteristic of the middle class, as in France.

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In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie (adjective: bourgeois) describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the bourgeoisie is a bourgeois or capitalist (plural: bourgeois; capitalists). Marxism defines the bourgeoisie as the social class that owns the means of production in a capitalist society. Marxists view the bourgeoisie as emerging from the wealthy urban classes in pre- and early capitalist societies.

Bourgeoisie is a French word that was borrowed directly into English in the specific sense described above. In the French feudal order pre-revolution, "bourgeois" was a class of citizens who were wealthier members of the Third Estate. The French word bourgeois evolved from the Old French word burgeis, meaning "an inhabitant of a town" (cf. Middle English burgeis, Middle Dutch burgher and German Bürger). The Old French word burgeis is derived from bourg, meaning a market town or medieval village, itself derived from Old Frankish burg, meaning "town".

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