A woman of the middle class or merchant class; the feminine form of bourgeois.
From French 'bourgeoise', the feminine form of 'bourgeois', derived from 'bourg' (town). This class emerged as merchants and traders grew wealthy and powerful.
The word 'bourgeoise' captures a specific historical moment when town-dwellers became a new powerful class between peasants and nobility—and women of that class finally had a word of their own!
French feminine form of 'bourgeois' (middle-class). Gendered form historically used to mark women's class status separately from men; implies different social expectations and property rights for 'bourgeoise' vs. 'bourgeois'.
In English, use 'bourgeois' for all genders, or specify 'bourgeois woman' if gender context matters. In French, consider 'bourgeois(e)' or 'personne bourgeoise'.
["bourgeois","middle-class person","person of bourgeois background"]
Bourgeois women managed substantial family wealth and commercial networks; the separate feminine form masked their economic agency by framing it through a gendered label rather than as 'bourgeois' in its own right.
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