The French word bourgeois comes from the Old French word burgeis , meaning `` an inhabitant of a town '' ( cf . Middle English burgeis , Middle Dutch burgher and German BÃ 1\/4 rger ) . The French word bourgeois evolved from the Old French word burgeis , meaning `` of a walled town '' ( cf . Middle English burgeis , Middle Dutch burgher and German BÃ 1\/4 rger ) .