Standard Lemma guide

proprietor

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /pɹəˈpɹaɪətɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P R AH0 P R AY1 AH0 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An owner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called a sole proprietor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

One of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

One or more persons to whom a colonial territory is assigned, like a fief, including its administration.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: history, human-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • From 10 September 1621 till 12 June 1632, Sir William Alexander, styled Earl of Stirling and Viscount of Canada, was proprietor of the Scottish colony Nova Scotia.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he is the owner of a chain of restaurants

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: owner

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: businessman, man of affairs

Narrower terms: bookseller, lessor, lease giver, letter, patron, proprietress, publisher, newspaper publisher, renter, restaurateur, restauranter, saloon keeper, timberman

History

Etymology

Probably from proprietary + -or.

Across languages

Translations

80 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: տեր (ter) — owner
  • Bengali: মালিক (malik) — owner
  • Bulgarian: со́бственик (sóbstvenik) — owner
  • Bulgarian: притежател (pritežatel) — owner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 所有者 (suǒyǒuzhe) — owner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 業主 /业主 (yèzhǔ) — owner
  • Czech: majitel — owner
  • Czech: vlastník — owner
  • Danish: indehaver — owner
  • Danish: ejer — owner
  • Dutch: eigenaar — owner
  • Dutch: bezitter — owner
  • Finnish: omistaja — owner
  • French: propriétaire — owner
  • German: Inhaber — owner
  • German: Inhaberin — owner
  • German: Besitzer — owner
  • German: Besitzerin — owner
  • German: Eigentümer — owner
  • Greek: ιδιοκτήτης (idioktítis) — owner
  • Hungarian: tulajdonos — owner
  • Irish: úinéir — owner
  • Italian: proprietario — owner
  • Japanese: 所有者 (shoyūsha) — owner
  • Japanese: 経営者 (keieisha) — owner
  • Kalmyk: эзн (ezn) — owner
  • Kazakh: иеленуші (ielenuşı) — owner
  • Central Kurdish: خاوەن (xawen) — owner
  • Macedonian: со́пственик (sópstvenik) — owner
  • Macedonian: стопан (stopan) — owner
  • Malay: pemilik — owner
  • Manx: shellooder — owner
  • Māori: rangatira — owner
  • Norwegian Bokmål: innehaver — owner
  • Norwegian Bokmål: eier — owner
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: innehavar — owner
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: eigar — owner
  • Old English: āgendfrēa — owner
  • Plautdietsch: Ieejendeema — owner
  • Polish: właściciel — owner
  • Polish: właścicielka — owner
  • Polish: posiadacz — owner
  • Polish: posiadaczka — owner
  • Portuguese: proprietário — owner
  • Portuguese: dono — owner
  • Romanian: proprietar — owner
  • Russian: владе́лец (vladélec) — owner
  • Russian: владе́лица (vladélica) — owner
  • Russian: со́бственник (sóbstvennik) — owner
  • Russian: со́бственница (sóbstvennica) — owner
  • Sicilian: patruni — owner
  • Sicilian: patruni 'i casa — owner
  • Sicilian: prupitariu — owner
  • Slovene: lastnik — owner
  • Spanish: propietario — owner
  • Swedish: ägare — owner
  • Ottoman Turkish: صاحب (sâhib) — owner
  • Bulgarian: едноличен търговец (ednoličen tǎrgovec) — sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called sole proprietor
  • Finnish: omistaja — sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called sole proprietor
  • German: Alleininhaber — sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called sole proprietor
  • German: Einzelinhaber — sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called sole proprietor
  • Greek: ιδιοκτήτης (idioktítis) — sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called sole proprietor
  • Japanese: 所有者 (shoyūsha) — sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called sole proprietor
  • Japanese: 経営者 (keieisha) — sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called sole proprietor
  • Polish: właściciel wyłączny — sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called sole proprietor
  • Polish: właścicielka wyłączna — sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called sole proprietor
  • Sicilian: principali — sole owner of an unincorporated business, also called sole proprietor
  • Bulgarian: сътрудник (sǎtrudnik) — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Bulgarian: съсобственик (sǎsobstvenik) — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Dutch: mede-eigenaar — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Dutch: partner — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Finnish: omistaja — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Finnish: partneri — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • German: Mitinhaber — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Japanese: 所有者 (shoyūsha) — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Japanese: 所有者団体 (shoyūsha-dantai) — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Polish: współwłaściciel — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Polish: współwłaścicielka — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Sicilian: cumpari — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
  • Swedish: delägare — one of the owners of an unincorporated business, a partner
Real reading context

proprietor in complete knowledge articles