proprietor — the owner of a business establishment or property
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: the owner of a business establishment or property
Pronunciation (IPA): /prəˈpraɪətər/
Example Sentences
- The cafe proprietor serves coffee so strong, it could wake the dead.
- As a proprietor of three bookstores, she knows every bestseller by heart.
- The gym proprietor was ironically the only person there who couldn't lift weights.
proprietor
NOUN[/prəˈpraɪətər/]
the owner of a business establishment or property

The proprietor of the little bookshop greets every customer by name.

The proprietor: both writer and fighter!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Proprietor derives from Latin proprietas (ownership, property), which passed through Middle French before entering English. The word originally developed from the sense of 'one's own thing' to denote a person who owns or possesses property.
Breakdown
proprius (own, one's own) + -etas (quality, state of being) → proprietor. The Latin -etas suffix forms abstract nouns denoting a quality or condition, while proprius indicates exclusive ownership.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The cafe proprietor serves coffee so strong, it could wake the dead.”
“As a proprietor of three bookstores, she knows every bestseller by heart.”
“The gym proprietor was ironically the only person there who couldn't lift weights.”
“The proprietor must obtain proper licenses before opening the establishment.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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