Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One who has legal title to something; an owner.
  • noun One who owns or owns and manages a business or other such establishment.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who has the legal right or exclusive title to something; an owner: as, the proprietor of a farm or of a mill.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who has the legal right or exclusive title to anything, whether in possession or not; an owner.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An owner
  • noun A sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called a sole proprietor
  • noun One of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • noun history One or more persons to whom a colonial territory is assigned, like a fief, including its administration

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably alteration of Middle English proprietarie; see proprietary.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Borrowed from Latin proprietor (see below), from proprietas, 'property', from proprius '(one's) own'

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word proprietor.

Examples

  • There are many comfortable-looking large houses, generally built according to the customs of the country whereof the proprietor is a native.

    Life in Mexico, During a Residence of Two Years in That Country Frances Erskine Inglis 1843

  • For National Poetry Month (April, to civilians), GottaBook's proprietor is promising new work by some of the finest kids 'poets in the land.

    Chicken Spaghetti: 2009

  • The Happy Trails proprietor is a huge Frank Zappa fan, his windows are a testament to his love ♥ This place is also linked in history to our local Stairway Denied — Zeppelin tribute band — and the Alchemist, our local independent infozine.

    Corner View – Music « Bodhicitta 2009

  • For National Poetry Month (April, to civilians), GottaBook's proprietor is promising new work by some of the finest kids 'poets in the land.

    Rhyme Crazy 2009

  • Hazel, the proprietor, is in her sixties, and it's a toss-up as to whether she's more attached to her mother or her cats.

    The Used World by Haven Kimmel: Book summary 2010

  • The Happy Trails proprietor is a huge Frank Zappa fan, his windows are a testament to his love ♥ This place is also linked in history to our local Stairway Denied — Zeppelin tribute band — and the Alchemist, our local independent infozine.

    2009 June « Bodhicitta 2009

  • The proprietor is an interesting guy named Gilberto Penzo.

    Cool ship models 2008

  • The proprietor is an interesting guy named Gilberto Penzo.

    Veniceblog: 2008

  • A humble proletarian hotel proprietor is subsequently pole-axed by the super-structure of the capitalist means-of-production in a dramatic example of Asiatic despotism at work throughout the totality of the imperialist capitalist system.

    Libertarians Still Lusting for Palin? « Antiwar.com Blog 2008

  • Though the long-term proprietor, Julie Griffiths, hates the term, this pub high in the Chiltern hills, lays claim to being the original gastropub.

    The 20 best places to eat in Britain this summer 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.