baron

[ bar-uh n ]
/ ˈbær ən /

noun

a member of the lowest grade of nobility.
(in Britain)
  1. a feudal vassal holding his lands under a direct grant from the king.
  2. a direct descendant of such a vassal or his equal in the nobility.
  3. a member of the House of Lords.
an important financier or industrialist, especially one with great power in a particular area: an oil baron.
a cut of mutton or lamb comprising the two loins, or saddle, and the hind legs.
Compare baron of beef.

Origin of baron

1200–50; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin barōn- (stemof barō) man < Germanic; sense “cut of beef” perhaps by analogy with the fanciful analysis of sirloin as “Sir Loin”

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH baron

barren baron baronet

Definition for baron (2 of 2)

Baron
[ ba-rawn ]
/ baˈrɔ̃ /

noun

Mi·chel [mee-shel] /miˈʃɛl/, Michel Boyron,1653–1729, French actor.

Example sentences from the Web for baron

British Dictionary definitions for baron

baron
/ (ˈbærən) /

noun

a member of a specific rank of nobility, esp the lowest rank in the British Isles
(in Europe from the Middle Ages) originally any tenant-in-chief of a king or other overlord, who held land from his superior by honourable service; a land-holding nobleman
a powerful businessman or financier a press baron
English law (formerly) the title held by judges of the Court of Exchequer
short for baron of beef

Word Origin for baron

C12: from Old French, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German baro freeman, Old Norse berjask to fight