chaebol

[ je-buhl ]

noun

, plural chae·bol, chae·bols.

1. a South Korean conglomerate, usually owned by a single family, based on authoritarian management and centralized decision-making.

chaebol

/ ˈtʃeɪbɒl /

noun

1. a large, usually family-owned, business group in South Korea

Word History and Origins

Origin of chaebol¹

First recorded in 1970–75; from Korean chaebŏl, from chae “wealth, property” + pŏl “clique, faction,” formed from the Korean pronunciation of the two Middle Chinese characters whose Japanese pronunciation is “zaibatsu”; zaibatsu ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of chaebol¹

C20: from Korean, literally: money clan

Example Sentences

Prosecutors argued that the length of the sentence is warranted because of Samsung’s power as the largest chaebol, or family-owned conglomerate, in South Korea.

From TechCrunch