baron
/ˈbar(ə)n
/noun
1A member of the lowest order of the British nobility. Baron is not used as a form of address, barons usually being referred to as ‘Lord’.Dukes, duchesses, and barons made up the nobility, while the gentry consisted of knights and lords....
- Most of the barons and lords that went up against Arthur, and lost, ended up as his knights and governing heads.
- Well, you see, the lords and barons swore their oath to make the king sign the Magna Carta at Bury St Edmunds.
Synonyms
noble, nobleman, aristocrat, peer, lord
1.1A member of a foreign nobility having a rank similar to that of a British baron.But with the aid of a meddling foreign country, the rebellious and discontent barons of that upper part of the country succeeded in receding from Palasar to create their own kingdom....
- He pictured the rulers of the countries of the world meeting at the annual Nomari, and countless trembling presidents, kings, barons, and prime ministers declaring him Emperor of Lothos.
- During this period, Malta was sold and resold to various feudal lords and barons and was dominated successively by the rulers of Swabia, Aquitaine, Aragon, Castile, and Spain.
1.2 historical A person who held lands or property from the sovereign or a powerful overlord.Some two hundred Norman barons took the land of over four thousand Anglo-Saxon lords, many of whom were exiled or killed....
- Because they had sworn an oath to their lord, it was taken for granted that they had sworn a similar oath to the duke, earl or baron who owned that lord's property.
- Knights and barons who had formerly controlled their own armies now took orders from the King.
2 [with modifier] An important or powerful person in a specified business or industry: a press baron...
- Happy is the press baron whose political and business interests work hand in hand - or fist in glove.
- Such service has ensured the custom of royal families, business barons and assorted celebrities over decades of dealing with the rich and famous.
- British and American media barons battled it out, with television broadcasting and production representing the modern Plains of Abraham and the Yanks acting as unrepentant victors.
Synonyms
magnate, tycoon, mogul, captain of industry, nabob, grandee, mandarin;
industrialist, proprietor, entrepreneur, executive, chief, leader
informal big shot, bigwig, honcho
North American informal big wheel
derogatory fat cat
Origin
Middle English: from Old French, from medieval Latin baro, baron- 'man, warrior', probably of Germanic origin.