baron
[ bar-uh n ]
/ ˈbær ən /
noun
a member of the lowest grade of nobility.
(in Britain)
- a feudal vassal holding his lands under a direct grant from the king.
- a direct descendant of such a vassal or his equal in the nobility.
- 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 nearby baron
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