petite bourgeoisie: Meaning and Definition of

pe•tite bour•geoi•sie

Pronunciation: (pu-tēt' boor"zhwä-zē' Fr. pu-tēt b&oomacrr-zhwa-zē'), [key]
  1. the portion of the bourgeoisie having the least wealth and lowest social status; the lower middle class.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.