proprietor

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

proprietor
    n 1: (law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business;
         "he is the owner of a chain of restaurants" [syn: {owner},
         {proprietor}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Proprietor \Pro*pri"e*tor\, n. [For older proprietary: cf. F.
   propri['e]tarie.]
   One who has the legal right or exclusive title to anything,
   whether in possession or not; an owner; as, the proprietor of
   farm or of a mill.
   [1913 Webster]

from Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

PROPRIETOR. The owner. (q.v.)

from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

33 Moby Thesaurus words for "proprietor":
      beneficiary, cestui, cestui que trust, cestui que use, deedholder,
      feoffee, feudatory, holder, householder, innkeeper, laird,
      landholder, landlady, landlord, landowner, licensee, lord, manager,
      master, mesne, mesne lord, mistress, owner, partner, possessor,
      property owner, proprietary, proprietress, proprietrix, publican,
      rentier, squire, titleholder

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