baron
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæɹən/
enpr: bă'rən
note: without the Mary–marry–merry merger
ipa: /ˈbæɹən/
note: Mary–marry–merry merger
ipa: /ˈbɛəɹən/
rhymes: -æɹən
homophone: barren
Forms: form: barons
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.
Senses: glosses: The male ruler of a barony.
coordinate_terms: don
duke
earl
lord
prince
baronet
glosses: A male member of the lowest rank of English nobility (the equivalent rank in Scotland is lord).
examples: text: There were a few exotics among them — some South American boys, sons of Argentine beef barons, one or two Russians, and even a Siamese prince, or someone who was described as a prince.
ref: c. 1948, George Orwell, Such, Such Were the Joys:
text: British journalists shun complete respectability, feeling a duty to be ready to savage the mighty, or rummage through their bins. Elsewhere in Europe, government contracts and subsidies ensure that press barons will only defy the mighty so far.
ref: 2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
synonyms: word: magnate
word: tycoon
word: baron
word: big cheese
word: big enchilada
word: big gun
word: big kahuna
word: big man
word: big name
word: big noise
word: big shot
word: bigwig
word: big wheel
word: boss
word: grand poobah
word: head honcho
word: heavy hitter
word: heavyweight
word: high muckamuck
word: high muckety-muck
word: king of all one surveys
word: king of the castle
word: king of the hill
word: kingpin
word: macher
word: mayor
word: muckamuck
word: muckety muck
word: mugwump
word: numero uno
word: poobah
word: rooster
word: somebody
word: top banana
word: top cat
word: top dog
word: top gun
word: very important person
word: VIP
word: wheel
glosses: A person of great power in society, especially in business and politics.
examples: text: The first thing a baron does is to accumulate a supply of tobacco. He spends every penny he can earn on laying it in […]
ref: 1960, Hugh J. Klare, Anatomy of Prison, page 33:
text: Nevertheless, from my own agonies of the first few months, after which I did not miss smoking at all, I could appreciate the need of others. It was in this atmosphere of craving that the 'barons' thrived. Barons are prisoners who lend tobacco.
ref: 1961, Peter Baker, Time out of life, page 51:
text: In British prisons tobacco still remains the gold standard which is made to back every transaction and promise. The official allowance is barely sufficient for individual smoking needs, but tobacco may expensively be borrowed or bought from a baron, possibly through his runner.
ref: 1980, Leonard Michaels, Christopher Ricks, The State of the Language, page 525:
glosses: A prisoner who gains power and influence by lending or selling goods such as tobacco.
examples: text: Such portentous appetites had Queequeg and Tashtego, that to fill out the vacancies made by the previous repast, often the pale Dough-Boy was fain to bring on a great baron of salt-junk, seemingly quarried out of the solid ox.
ref: 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 34”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
glosses: A baron of beef, a cut made up of a double sirloin.
glosses: Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Euthalia.
examples: text: baron and femme
translation: husband and wife
english: husband and wife
topics: law
coordinate_terms: wife
glosses: A husband.
Derived terms: baron and femme
baron-bailie
baron court
baronic
baronize
baronry
baronship
barony
beer baron
booze baron
court-baron
court baron
covert baron
drug baron
oil baron
porn baron
robber-baron
robber baron
tech baron
Related terms: baroness
baronetcy
baronial
baronne