baron

¹

[ bar-uhn ]

noun

1. a member of the lowest grade of nobility.
2. (in Britain)
   1. a feudal vassal holding his lands under a direct grant from the king.
   2. a direct descendant of such a vassal or his equal in the nobility.
   3. a member of the House of Lords.
3. an important financier or industrialist, especially one with great power in a particular area:

   an oil baron.

4. a cut of mutton or lamb comprising the two loins, or saddle, and the hind legs.

Baron

²

[ ba-rawn ]

noun

1. Mi·chel [mee-, shel], Michel Boyron, 1653–1729, French actor.

baron

/ ˈbærən /

noun

1. a member of a specific rank of nobility, esp the lowest rank in the British Isles
2. (in Europe from the Middle Ages) originally any tenant-in-chief of a king or other overlord, who held land from his superior by honourable service; a land-holding nobleman
3. a powerful businessman or financier

   a press baron

4. English law (formerly) the title held by judges of the Court of Exchequer
5. short for baron of beef

Word History and Origins

Origin of baron¹

1200–50; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin barōn- (stemof barō ) man < Germanic; sense “cut of beef ” perhaps by analogy with the fanciful analysis of sirloin as “Sir Loin”

Word History and Origins

Origin of baron¹

C12: from Old French, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German baro freeman, Old Norse berjask to fight

Example Sentences

At his Mar-a-Lago meeting with the oil barons and a later beachfront rally in New Jersey, Trump promised he would stop federal support for wind power.

From Los Angeles Times

That meant using effects and make-up such as a fake beard, she explained, so she could play the drug baron in the first section of the musical.

From BBC

Anderson plays a silver baron, one of a pair of “duelling matriarchs” opposite Game of Thrones’ Lena Headey.

From BBC

For anyone fascinated by great estates, robber barons, generational wealth or just human psychology, the tour is a chance to see territory that’s been off-limits for decades.

From Los Angeles Times

They’re reminiscent of the railroad robber barons of more than a century ago that were finally corralled by Progressive reforms.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aristocrat