Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
pro·pri·e·tor
\\prə-ˈprī-ə-tər\\ noun ETYMOLOGY alteration of proprietary (I)
DATE 1637
1. one granted ownership of a colony (as one of the original American colonies) and full prerogatives of establishing a government and distributing land2.
a. a person who has the legal right or exclusive title to something : owner
b. one having an interest (as control or present use) less than absolute and exclusive right
•
pro·pri·e·tor·ship \\-ˌship\\
noun proprietor
1639, "owner, by royal grant, of an American colony," probably from proprietary (n.) in sense "property owner" (1473, see proprietary). In general sense of "one who holds something as property" it is attested from 1645.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7
proprietorpro·pri·etor /
prE5praiEtE(r) /
noun (
formal)the owner of a business, a hotel, etc.
业主；所有人:
newspaper proprietors 报业老板• pro·pri·etor·ship /
prE5praiEtEFip;
NAmE -tErF- /
noun [U]⇨ see also
proprietress
Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English
Oxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishproprietor
noun
ADJ. hotel, newspaper, restaurant | landed | sole He is now sole proprietor of the business.
Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged
Search result show the entry is found in:
lord proprietor
, or
peasant proprietor
pro·pri·e·tor
\prəˈprīəd.ə(r), prōˈ-, -ətə,
by r-
dissimilation pəˈ-\
noun
(
-s)
Etymology: alteration (influenced by
-or) of
proprietary (I)
1. : an owner or grantee of a proprietary colony
: proprietary
2.
a. : one who has the legal right or exclusive title to something whether in possession or not
: owner
< proprietor of a store >
< protection of the rights of authors and other copyright proprietors — Universal Copyright Convention > b. : one having an interest (as control, present use, or usufruct) less than absolute and exclusive right