/ ˌbʊəʒwɑːˈziː; NAmE ˌbʊrʒ-/ noun the bourgeoisie [ sing.+ sing./pl. v . ]
1.
the middle classes in society :
the rise of the bourgeoisie in the nineteenth century
2.
( politics ) the capitalist class :
the proletariat and the bourgeoisie
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WORD ORIGIN
early 18th cent.: French , from bourgeois .