baron

From Middle English baroun, in turn borrowed from Old French baron, Medieval Latin barō (not to be confused with classical bārō (“simpleton”)), possibly from Frankish *barō (“servant, man, warrior”), perhaps from *barô (“carrier”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear”). Possibly cognate with Old English beorn (“man, warrior”). Used in early Germanic law in the sense of homō (“man, human being”).

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

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbæɹən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛɹən/
• Rhymes: -æɹən
• Homophone: barren

baron (plural barons)

1. The male ruler of a barony.
2. A male member of the lowest rank of English nobility (the equivalent rank in Scotland is lord).
3. A particular cut of beef, made up of a double sirloin.
   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick, chapter 34

     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.

4. A person of great power in society, especially in business and politics.

   “Robber baron” or “robber knight” is an historic term and title of disdain.

   • 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.

5. (law, obsolete) A husband.

   baron and feme: husband and wife

• baron and femme
• barony
• baronship
• robber baron

• (female form):baroness
• (wife):lady
• (adjectival form): baronial
• (related titles): baron, don, duke, earl, lord, prince, baronet
• baronetcy

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

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

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

• IPA^(key): /baːˈrɔn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ba‧ron
• Rhymes: -ɔn

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

1. baron

• barones
• oliebaron

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaron/
• Hyphenation: ba‧ron
• Rhymes: -aron

baron

1. accusative singular of baro

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.

• IPA^(key): /ba.ʁɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔ̃

baron m (plural barons)

1. (dated) baron, lord, noble landowner

• “baron” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• borna

baru +‎ -an

baron

1. young plant, especially coffee

Borrowed from Dutch baron (“baron”).

baron

1. a title for European noblemen

From Old French baron.

baron m (plural barons)

1. baron (nobleman)

• French: baron

baron m (plural barons)

1. Alternative form of bâron

From Old Norse barrún, Old French baron and Old High German baro

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

1. a baron

• baronesse

• “baron” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Old Norse barrún, Old French baron and Old High German baro

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

1. a baron

• baronesse

• “baron” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

baron

1. to reveal, to make public

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

• Middle Dutch: bāren
  • Dutch: baren

• “baron”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

• baroun, barun, ber

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

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

1. lord, baron (title of nobility)
2. (by extension) husband

• (husband): seignor, mari

• Middle French: barom
  • French: baron (historical)
    • Haitian Creole: baron
    • → German: Baron (see there for further descendants)
• Norman: bâron
• Picard: barôn
• Walloon: baron
• → Middle Armenian: պարոն (paron)
  • Armenian: պարոն (paron)
• → Middle English: baron, barun, baroun
  • English: baron
• → Middle Dutch: baroen
  • Dutch: baron (readjustment)
• → Middle High German: barūn
• → Middle Irish: barún
  • Irish: barún

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

bàrōn m (Cyrillic spelling ба̀ро̄н)

1. baron (title of nobility)

• Audio

  (file)

baron c (feminine: baronessa)

1. a baron, a ruler of a barony