Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

baron

 - 4 dictionary results

bar⋅on

[bar-uhn]
–noun
1. a member of the lowest grade of nobility.
2. (in Britain)
a. a feudal vassal holding his lands under a direct grant from the king.
b. a direct descendant of such a vassal or his equal in the nobility.
c. a member of the House of Lords.
3. an important financier or industrialist, esp. 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.
Compare baron of beef.


Origin:
1200–50; ME < AF, OF < LL barōn- (s.of barō) man < Gmc; sense “cut of beef” perh. by analogy with the fanciful analysis of sirloin as “Sir Loin”

Ba⋅ron

[ba-rawn]
–noun
Mi⋅chel [mee-shel] , (Michel Boyron), 1653–1729, French actor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To baron
bar·on   (bār'ən)   
n.  
    1. A British nobleman of the lowest rank.

    2. A nobleman of continental Europe, ranked differently in various countries.

    3. A Japanese nobleman of the lowest rank.

    4. Abbr. Bn. Used as the title for such a nobleman.

    5. A feudal tenant holding his rights and title directly from a king or another feudal superior.

    6. A lord or nobleman; a peer.

    1. A feudal tenant holding his rights and title directly from a king or another feudal superior.

    2. A lord or nobleman; a peer.

  1. One having great wealth, power, and influence in a specified sphere of activity: an oil baron.

  2. A cut of beef consisting of a double sirloin.


[Middle English, from Old French, probably of Germanic origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

baron 
c.1200, from O.Fr. baron, acc. of ber "military leader," perhaps from Frank. baro "freeman, man;" merged with cognate O.E. beorn "nobleman." Baronet, with dim. suffix, first recorded c.1400.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see baron on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: