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nabob

 - 5 dictionary results

na⋅bob

  [ney-bob]
Use nabob in a Sentence
–noun
1. any very wealthy, influential, or powerful person.
2. Also, nawab. a person, esp. a European, who has made a large fortune in India or another country of the East.
3. nawab (def. 1).
Origin:
1605–15; < Hindi nawāb. See nawab

Related forms:
na⋅bob⋅er⋅y  [ney-bob-uh-ree, ney-bob-uh-ree] , na⋅bob⋅ism, noun
na⋅bob⋅ish, na⋅bob⋅i⋅cal, adjective
na⋅bob⋅ish⋅ly, na⋅bob⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
na⋅bob⋅ship, noun

na⋅wab

  [nuh-wob, -wawb]
–noun
1. Also, nabob. a viceroy or deputy governor under the former Mogul empire in India.
2. an honorary title conferred upon Muslims of distinction in India and Pakistan.
3. nabob (def. 3).
Origin:
1750–60; < Urdu nawwāb < Ar nuwwāb, pl. of nā'ib deputy, viceroy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To nabob
na·bob   (nā'bŏb')   
n.  

  1. A governor in India under the Mogul Empire. Also called nawab.

  2. A person of wealth and prominence.


[Hindi nawāb, nabāb, from Arabic nuwwāb, pl. of nā'ib, deputy, active participle of nāba, to represent; see nwb in Semitic roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

nabob 
1612, "deputy governor in Mogul Empire," Anglo-Indian, from Hindi nabab, from Arabic nuwwab, honorific pl. of na'ib "viceroy, deputy," from base n-w-b "to take someone's place." Also used of Europeans who came home from India having made a fortune there, hence "very rich man" (1764).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

nabob

deputy ruler, or viceroy, under the Mughal rule of India. The title was later adopted by the independent rulers of Bengal, Oudh, and Arcot.

Learn more about nabob with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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