baron
Meanings
Plural: barons
Noun
- a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank
- a British peer of the lowest rank
- a very wealthy or powerful businessman
- "an oil baron"
- The male ruler of a barony.
- A male member of the lowest rank of English nobility (the equivalent rank in Scotland is lord).
- A person of great power in society, especially in business and politics.
- A prisoner who gains power and influence by lending or selling goods such as tobacco.
- A baron of beef, a cut made up of a double sirloin.
- Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Euthalia.
- A husband.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English baroun, from Old French baron, from Latin barōnem, from Proto-West Germanic *barō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear”). Cognate with Old High German baro (“human being, man, freeman”), Old English bora (“a man who bears responsibility, one who is in charge, a ruler”), and perhaps to Old English beorn (“man, warrior”). Used in early Germanic law in the sense of "man, human being".
A Celtic origin has also been suggested; see the quote under sense 3 of Latin barō. However, the OED takes the hypothetical Proto-Celtic *bar- (“hero”) to be a figment.
Synonyms
baron, big businessman, big cheese, big enchilada, big gun, big kahuna, big man, big name, big noise, big shot, big wheel, bigwig, boss, business leader, grand poobah, head honcho, heavy hitter, heavyweight, high muckamuck, high muckety-muck, king, king of all one surveys, king of the castle, king of the hill, kingpin, macher, magnate, mayor, mogul, muckamuck, muckety muck, mugwump, numero uno, poobah, power, rooster, somebody, top banana, top cat, top dog, top executive, top gun, tycoon, very important person, VIP, wheel
Scrabble Score: 7
baron is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordbaron is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
baron is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary