petite bourgeoisie

[ puh-teet boor-zhwah-zee; French puh-teet boor-zhwa-zee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the portion of the bourgeoisie having the least wealth and lowest social status; the lower middle class.

Borrowed into English from French around 1915–20

By converting the peasants into a Petite Bourgeoisie, it threatened to postpone to an indefinite date the triumph of Socialism.

Below these are the petite bourgeoisie, who are mostly shopkeepers, clerks, and people in various employments.

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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