Privatier ([], also spelled Privatus, with the feminine forms Privata or Privatière, meaning "private person") is a French word that was used from the 19th century in Germany and some other countries as a title by members of

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...

families of substantial financial means in lieu of another professional title. Much like

rentier Rentier may refer to: * Rentier capitalism, economic practices of gaining profit by monopolizing access to property * Rentier state, a state which derives national revenues from the rent of indigenous resources * Operation Rentier, a German milita ...

, it denotes someone who does not have to work to make a living, and who lives off their assets of some size, e.g.

interest In finance and economics, interest is payment from a borrower or deposit-taking financial institution to a lender or depositor of an amount above repayment of the principal sum (that is, the amount borrowed), at a particular rate. It is disti ...

, profits from

investments Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort. In finance, the purpose of investing i ...

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

and

current asset In accounting, a current asset is any asset which can reasonably be expected to be sold, consumed, or exhausted through the normal operations of a business within the current fiscal year or operating cycle or financial year (whichever period is ...

s. Sometimes, the title is used by affluent businessmen after they have wholly or largely retired from their former activity. For example, in

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...

's novel ''

Buddenbrooks ''Buddenbrooks'' () is a 1901 novel by Thomas Mann, chronicling the decline of a wealthy north German merchant family over the course of four generations, incidentally portraying the manner of life and mores of the Hanseatic bourgeoisie in the ...

'', the character Alois Permaneder, a former merchant, uses this title after his marriage to Tony Buddenbrook, after receiving a substantial

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...

from her wealthy family, at which point he retires from business.

: ''

'', part 6, chapter 8, Frankfurt 1974

References

{{Authority control French words and phrases German words and phrases Business occupations Social class in Germany Social history Social groups