Etymologically
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propriétaire

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Pronunciation

  • /pʁɔ.pʁi.je.tɛʁ/[1]

Forms

propriétaire m or f by sense (plural propriétaires)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin proprietārius (“belonging to someone; an owner”), a term of Roman jurists, from proprietās (“ownership, property”), from proprius (“one's own”).[2][3][4][1] The French adjective, first recorded in 1317, is the same borrowing used as an adjective.[3][4]

Compare Catalan propietari, Spanish propietario and Italian proprietario.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1263, in the constitutions of the Maison-Dieu of Troyes, for someone who owns something as his own.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

From 1315 it was used without a complement for the owner of a building or land, and, from 1690 (Furetière), in contrast with locataire, for one who lets a house to tenants.[2][3] In that sense it gave the familiar shortening proprio (1878), at first pejorative, and the slang probloque (1886).[3] Older uses have died out: an adjective “concerning property” (1317), “patrimony” (about 1538), and in mystical writing an âme propriétaire (before 1704, Bossuet), a soul too attached to its own.[2][3][5] Littré records a feminine propriéteresse (1633).[5] The compounds are copropriétaire (1634) and multipropriétaire (about 1965).[3]

Timeline

  • 1263 – First record, in Troyes.[2]
  • 1315 – Owner of a building.[2]
  • 1317 – The adjective “concerning property”.[2]
  • 1486 – Propriétairement.[3]
  • 1634 – Copropriétaire.[3]
  • 1690 – Furetière records the landlord who lets to tenants.[2]
  • 1878 – Proprio.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An owner, one who has the property of something: le propriétaire d'une voiture, devenir propriétaire.[6][1]
  2. An owner of land or buildings: un propriétaire terrien, un petit propriétaire.[6][2]
  3. A landlord or landlady, in contrast with the tenant: payer le loyer au propriétaire.[2][1]
  4. Nu-propriétaire: the owner of a property in which another has the usufruct.[5][6]

Adjective

  1. (computing) proprietary: un logiciel propriétaire.[1]

Word family

  • proprio
  • copropriétaire

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert