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capitaliste

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Etymology and origin of the French word capitaliste

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Calque
First attested
1678 Mercure Hollandois More words from the 17th century
Borrowed from
Dutch kapitalist

Pronunciation

  • /ka.pi.ta.list/[1]

Forms

capitaliste m or f by sense (plural capitalistes)[1]

Etymology

The TLF-Étym takes it as a calque: it is borrowed from Dutch Capitalist, a tax term coined in 1621 for taxpayers whose property exceeded 2,000 florins;[2] from 1625 those with 1,000 to 2,000 florins were called “half-capitalists”.[2] Bloch and Wartburg had already preferred this origin,[3] and the French examples of the late 17th and early 18th century concern Holland.[2] The Dutch word is formed on kapitaal (“capital”).[3]

The TLFi rejected the Dutch origin and took the word as formed from French capital + -iste;[4] the Grand Robert, the Petit Robert and Wiktionary also derive it from capital.[5][6][1] The TLF-Étym calls Wartburg's analysis as a French derivative mistaken,[2] while the TLFi notes German Kapitalist (“owner of a capital”) from 1694.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Mercure Hollandois of 1678 speaks of 65,500 Capitalistes in the province of Holland, taxpayers assessed on their fortune; the 1710 Mémoires of Zoutelandt explain that capitaliste was the name for someone with 20,000 florins of property.[2]

Semantic evolution

The word stayed rare but regular until the mid-18th century, when the Physiocrats spread it;[2] the 1770 Éphémérides du citoyen says that every landowner is a capitalist.[2] The Encyclopédie has it in 1755,[4][7][8] and a letter to Rousseau in 1759 uses it for a rich person.[4][5][3] A dictionary of 1790 says it was known only in Paris and a few towns and called a capitalist “a monster of fortune, a man with a heart of bronze”, an early pejorative note.[4][7]

The Académie recorded in 1798 the sense “person who owns capital and makes it yield a profit”.[4][7] Chaptal used it in 1819 for the owner of the means of production, and Sismondi in 1827 set the capitalist against the worker.[2] The adjective is found from 1790 for “owning capital” and since 1849 for “belonging to capitalism” (le système capitaliste);[2] the TLFi dates banquier capitaliste to 1832 and faction capitaliste “in favour of capitalism” to 1869.[4][7]

English borrowed the noun from French as capitalist at the end of the 18th century (1792).[2]

Timeline

  • 1621 – Dutch Capitalist is coined as a tax term.[2]
  • 1678 – Capitalistes in the Mercure Hollandois.[2]
  • 1755 – Recorded in the Encyclopédie.[4][8]
  • 1759 – Used of a rich person in a letter to Rousseau.[4][3]
  • 1790 – First use as an adjective.[2]
  • 1792 – English capitalist is borrowed from French.[2]
  • 1798 – The Académie records the sense “owner of invested capital”.[4][7]
  • 1849 – Le système capitaliste.[2]
  • 1869 – Faction capitaliste, “supporting capitalism”.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person who owns capital, especially capital invested in a business, and draws an income from it.[6][4]
  2. (familiar) A rich person: ton oncle est un vrai capitaliste.[6]
  3. A supporter of capitalism.[2]

Adjective

  1. Owning capital: la bourgeoisie capitaliste.[4]
  2. Relating to or characteristic of capitalisme: une économie capitaliste.[6][4]

Word family

  • capitalistique
  • anticapitaliste

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Steinfeld, Nadine; Buchi, Éva, eds. (2005–), TLF-Étym: révision des notices étymologiques du Trésor de la langue française informatisé, Nancy: ATILF
  3. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Capitaliste.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/capitaliste. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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