baron

See also: Baron, barón, barōn, báron, and bâron

English

Etymology

From Middle English baroun, from Old French baron, Medieval Latin barō, from Frankish *barō (“servant, man, warrior”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *barô (“carrier, bearer”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear”). Cognate with Old High German baro (“human being, man, freeman”), and perhaps to Old English beorn (“man, warrior”). Used in early Germanic law in the sense of "man, human being".

A Celtic origin has also been suggested, due to the occurrence of a Latin barones (“military official”) as early as the first century (Cornutus, On Persius' Fifth Satire). However, the OED takes this hypothetical Proto-Celtic *bar- (“hero”) to be a figment.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbæɹən/
Audio (UK) (file)
(General American) enPR: bă'rən
- (Mary–marry–merry distinction) IPA^(key): /ˈbæɹən/
- (Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛəɹən/
Rhymes: -æɹən
Homophone: barren

Noun

baron (plural barons, feminine baroness)

The male ruler of a barony.
A male member of the lowest rank of English nobility (the equivalent rank in Scotland is lord).
Coordinate terms: don, duke, earl, lord, prince, baronet
(by extension) A person of great power in society, especially in business and politics.
Synonyms: magnate, tycoon; see also Thesaurus:important person
- c. 1948, George Orwell, Such, Such Were the Joys:
  There were a few exotics among them — some South American boys, sons of Argentine beef barons, one or two Russians, and even a Siamese prince, or someone who was described as a prince.
- 2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist‎, volume 408, number 8848:
  British journalists shun complete respectability, feeling a duty to be ready to savage the mighty, or rummage through their bins. Elsewhere in Europe, government contracts and subsidies ensure that press barons will only defy the mighty so far.
(UK, prison slang) A prisoner who gains power and influence by lending or selling tobacco.
- 1960, Hugh J. Klare, Anatomy of Prison (page 33)
  The first thing a baron does is to accumulate a supply of tobacco. He spends every penny he can earn on laying it in […]
- 1961, Peter Baker, Time out of life (page 51)
  Nevertheless, from my own agonies of the first few months, after which I did not miss smoking at all, I could appreciate the need of others. It was in this atmosphere of craving that the 'barons' thrived. Barons are prisoners who lend tobacco.
- 1980, Leonard Michaels, Christopher Ricks, The State of the Language (page 525)
  In British prisons tobacco still remains the gold standard which is made to back every transaction and promise. The official allowance is barely sufficient for individual smoking needs, but tobacco may expensively be borrowed or bought from a baron, possibly through his runner.
A baron of beef, a cut made up of a double sirloin.
- 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 34”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, OCLC 57395299:
  Such portentous appetites had Queequeg and Tashtego, that to fill out the vacancies made by the previous repast, often the pale Dough-Boy was fain to bring on a great baron of salt-junk, seemingly quarried out of the solid ox.
Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Euthalia.
(law, obsolete) A husband.
Coordinate term: wife
baron and feme ― husband and wife

Derived terms

baron and femme
baron-bailie
baronship
barony
beer baron
court-baron
court baron
covert baron
drug baron
porn baron
robber baron
robber-baron
tech baron

Related terms

baroness
baronial
baronetcy

Translations

male ruler of a barony

Albanian: arhond (sq) m
Armenian: բարոն (hy) (baron)
Asturian: barón (ast) m
Catalan: baró (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 男爵 (zh) (nánjué)
Czech: baron (cs) m
Danish: baron (da) c
Dutch: baron (nl) m
Esperanto: barono (eo)
Estonian: parun, vabahärra
Faroese: barónur m
Finnish: vapaaherra (fi), paroni (fi)
French: baron (fr) m
Galician: barón m
German: Baron (de) m, Freiherr (de) m
Greek: βαρόνος (el) m (varónos)
Hawaiian: pālona, barona
Hungarian: báró (hu)
Icelandic: barón m
Ido: barono (io), baronulo (io)
Irish: barún m, barúin m pl
Italian: barone (it) m
Japanese: 男爵 (ja) (だんしゃく, danshaku)
Khmer: ឃុន (km) (kʰun)
Korean: 남작 (ko) (namjak)
Latin: (Medieval) barō m
Latvian: barons, brīvkungs m
Lithuanian: baronas (lt) m
Macedonian: барон m (baron)
Manchu: ᠠᠰᡥᠠᠨ ᡳ
ᡥᠠᡶᠠᠨ
Maori: parena
Marathi: बॅरन m (bĕran)
Norman: bâron m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: baron (no) m
Nynorsk: baron m
Old English: þegn m
Persian: بارون‎ (fa) (bâron)
Polish: baron (pl) m
Portuguese: barão (pt) m
Russian: баро́н (ru) m (barón)
Sicilian: baruni m
Slovene: baron m
Spanish: barón (es) m
Swedish: baron (sv) c
Thai: แบรอน, บารอน
Vietnamese: nam tước (vi)
Volapük: baonan (vo)
Yiddish: באַראָן‎ m (baron)

person of power and influence

Polish: baron (pl) m

References

"baron n.", Oxford English Dictionary, Second edition, 1989; first published in New English Dictionary, 1885.

Anagrams

Abron, Barno, Bonar, Borna, NORBA, Nabor, Orban, Rabon, aborn, bonar

Dutch

Etymology

Readjustment from earlier baroen through modern French influence, from Middle Dutch baroen, from Old French baron, from Frankish *barō.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /baːˈrɔn/
Audio (file)
Hyphenation: ba‧ron
Rhymes: -ɔn

Noun

baron m (plural baronnen, diminutive baronnetje n, feminine barones)

baron, a specific aristocratic title
a magnate, especially a wealthy and influential (industrial) entrepreneur

Derived terms

barones
oliebaron
suikerbaron
textielbaron

Related terms

baronie

Descendants

→ Indonesian: baron
→ Javanese: ꦧꦫꦺꦴꦤ꧀ (baron)

Esperanto

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈbaron]
Rhymes: -aron
Hyphenation: ba‧ron

Noun

baron

accusative singular of baro

French

Etymology

From Middle French baron, from Old French baron, from or corresponding to Late Latin or Medieval Latin barō, barōnem, possibly from Frankish *baro (“freeman”) or of other Germanic origin; alternatively, of ultimately Celtic origin.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ba.ʁɔ̃/
Audio (file)
Rhymes: -ɔ̃

Noun

baron m (plural barons, feminine baronne)

(dated) baron, lord, noble landowner

Anagrams

borna

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch baron, from Middle Dutch baroen, from Old French baron, from Frankish *barō.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈbarɔn]
Hyphenation: ba‧ron

Noun

baron (first-person possessive baronku, second-person possessive baronmu, third-person possessive baronnya)

baron: the male ruler of a barony; a title for European noblemen.

Javanese

Other scripts
Carakan	ꦧꦫꦺꦴꦤ꧀
Roman	baron

Etymology 1

baru +‎ -an

Noun

baron (krama ngoko baron)

young plant, especially coffee

Etymology 2

From Dutch baron (“baron”), from Middle Dutch baroen, from Old French baron, from Frankish *barō.

Noun

baron (krama ngoko baron)

a title for European noblemen

References

"baron" in W. J. S. Poerwadarminta, Bausastra Jawa. J. B. Wolters' Uitgevers-Maatschappij N. V. Groningen, Batavia, 1939

Middle English

Adjective

baron

Alternative form of bareyne

Noun

baron

Alternative form of baroun

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French baron.

Noun

baron m (plural barons)

baron (nobleman)

Descendants

French: baron

Norman

Noun

baron m (plural barons)

Alternative form of bâron

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse barún, from Old French baron, from Frankish *barō.

Noun

baron m (definite singular baronen, indefinite plural baroner, definite plural baronene)

a baron

Related terms

baronesse

References

“baron” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse barún, from Old French baron, from Frankish *barō.

Noun

baron m (definite singular baronen, indefinite plural baronar, definite plural baronane)

a baron

Related terms

baronesse

References

“baron” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *bazōną.

Verb

baron

to reveal, to make public

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

Middle Dutch: bāren
- Dutch: baren

Old French

Alternative forms

baroun, barun, ber

Etymology

From or corresponding to Medieval Latin bārō, possibly from Frankish *barō (“freeman”) or of other Germanic origin; alternatively, ultimately of Celtic origin. The nominative form ber corresponds to the nominative barō.

Noun

baron m (oblique plural barons, nominative singular ber, nominative plural baron)

lord, baron (title of nobility)
(by extension) husband

Synonyms

(husband): seignor, mari

Descendants

Middle French: barom
- French: baron (historical)
  - Haitian Creole: baron
Norman: bâron
Picard: barôn
Walloon: baron
→ Middle Armenian: պարոն (paron)
- Armenian: պարոն (paron)
→ Middle English: baroun, baron, barone, baroon, barown, barowne, barun, beron
- English: baron
- Scots: baron
→ Middle Low German: barōn
→ Middle Dutch: baroen
- Dutch: baron (readjustment)
→ Middle High German: barūn, barōne
- German: Baron (see there for further descendants)
→ Old Norse: barún
- Icelandic: barón
- Norwegian: baron
- Swedish: baron
- Danish: baron
→ Middle Irish: barún
- Irish: barún

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from French baron, from Middle French baron, from Old French baron, from or corresponding to Late Latin or Medieval Latin barō, barōnem, probably ultimately of Proto-Germanic origin.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈba.rɔn/
Audio (file)
Rhymes: -arɔn
Syllabification: ba‧ron

Noun

baron m pers (diminutive baronek, feminine baronessa)

(historical) baron, lord (the male ruler of a barony)

Noun

baron m pers

(figuratively) baron, lord (a person of great power in society, especially in business and politics)
Synonym: potentat

Declension

Declension of baron

	singular	plural
nominative	baron	baronowie/baroni
genitive	barona	baronów
dative	baronowi	baronom
accusative	barona	baronów
instrumental	baronem	baronami
locative	baronie	baronach
vocative	baronie	baronowie/baroni

Derived terms

adjectives

baronowski
baroński

nouns

baronat
baronek
baronet
baronia
baronostwo
baronowa
baronówna
baroństwo

Romanian

Etymology

From French baron.

Noun

baron m (plural baroni)

baron

Declension

Declension of baron

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) baron	baronul	(niște) baroni	baronii
genitive/dative	(unui) baron	baronului	(unor) baroni	baronilor
vocative	baronule		baronilor

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Old French baron.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bǎroːn/
Hyphenation: ba‧ron

Noun

bàrōn m (Cyrillic spelling ба̀ро̄н)

baron (title of nobility)

Swedish

Etymology

From Old French baron.

Pronunciation

Audio (file)

Noun

baron c (feminine: baronessa)

a baron, a ruler of a barony

Declension

Declension of baron
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	baron	baronen	baroner	baronerna
Genitive	barons	baronens	baroners	baronernas

Anagrams

banor, bonar, borna, nabor

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish barón.

Pronunciation

Hyphenation: ba‧ron

IPA^(key): /baˈɾon/, [bɐˈɾon]

Noun

barón

baron (title of nobility)

baron

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

Anagrams

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

Esperanto

Pronunciation

Noun

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Further reading

Anagrams

Indonesian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Further reading

Javanese

Etymology 1

Noun

Etymology 2

Noun

References

Middle English

Adjective

Noun

Middle French

Etymology

Noun

Descendants

Norman

Noun

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Noun

Related terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Noun

Related terms

References

Old Dutch

Etymology

Verb

Inflection

Descendants

Further reading

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Noun

Synonyms

Descendants

Polish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Noun

Declension