Word of the Day

Saturday, November 22, 2008

nabob

\NAY-bob\ , noun;

a native ruler in India in the Mogul empire; by extension, a person from India who made a fortune there

a very wealthy and prominent person; mogul

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Quotes:

I am not a nabob, but I live well.

-- Malcolm Moore, Sicilian reggae performer wows Jamaica, Daily Telegraph, January 18, 2004

This super nabob spent money as though it was water.

-- Arthur Daley, Lessons in Skulduggery, New York Times, September 16, 1939

Perhaps once worn by some nabob or his wife, it is today, of course, a museum piece, lent to the display by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

-- Italian Artisans Who Created New Fashion From an Ancient Style, New York Times, December 16, 2000

Origin:

by 1612, "deputy governor in Mogul Empire," Anglo-Indian, from Hindi nabab, from Arabic nuwwab, honorific plural of na'ib "viceroy, deputy." This word was also used of Europeans who came home from India having made a fortune there, hence "very rich man" (1760).