baron

bar·on

noun \ˈber-ən, ˈba-rən\

Definition of BARON

1

a : one of a class of tenants holding his rights and title by military or other honorable service directly from a feudal superior (as a king)

b : a lord of the realm : noble, peer

2

a : a member of the lowest grade of the peerage in Great Britain

b : a nobleman on the continent of Europe of varying rank

c : a member of the lowest order of nobility in Japan

3

: a joint of meat consisting of two sirloins or loins and legs not cut apart at the backbone <a baron of beef>

4

: a man who possesses great power or influence in some field of activity <a cattle baron>

Examples of BARON

1. <a media baron who owns newspapers, television and radio stations, and even several cable networks>

Origin of BARON

Middle English, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German baro freeman

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to BARON

Synonyms

magnate, captain, czar (also tsar or tzar), king, lion, lord, mogul, monarch, Napoleon, prince, tycoon

Related Words

big boy, big cheese, bigfoot, biggie, big gun, big shot, big wheel, bigwig, fat cat, figure, heavy, heavyweight, honcho, kahuna, main man, mover and shaker, nabob, nawab, notable, personage, pooh-bah (also poo-bah), supremo [chiefly British], VIP; celebrity, personality, star, superstar; deity, demigod, god

Near Antonyms

half-pint, lightweight, small-timer; inferior, subordinate, underling; nobody, nothing, zero

Rhymes with BARON

Charon, Erin, heron, perron, raring

baron

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Title of nobility, ranking in modern times immediately below a viscount or a count (in countries without viscounts). The wife of a baron is a baroness. Originally, in the early Middle Ages, the term designated a tenant of whatever rank who held a tenure of barony direct from the king. Gradually, it came to mean a powerful personage, and therefore a magnate. The rights and title may be conferred for military or other honorable service.