Definition of BARON

baron

Plural: barons

Noun

  • A member of the lowest order of the British nobility.
  • 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.

Examples

  • baron and femme
  • He was a Scrabble baron, owning all the high-value scoring territories.

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

big businessman, business leader, king, magnate, mogul, power, top executive, tycoon, VIP, baron, big cheese, big enchilada, big gun, big kahuna, big man, big name, big noise, big shot, big wheel, bigwig, boss, grand poobah, head honcho, heavy hitter, heavyweight, high muckamuck, high muckety-muck, king of all one surveys, king of the castle, king of the hill, kingpin, macher, mayor, muckamuck, muckety muck, mugwump, numero uno, poobah, rooster, somebody, top banana, top cat, top dog, top gun, very important person, wheel

Scrabble Score: 7

baron: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
baron: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
baron: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

baron: valid Words With Friends Word