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bar·on (bărən)
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n.
1.
a. A British nobleman of the lowest rank.
b. A nobleman of continental Europe, ranked differently in various countries.
c. A Japanese nobleman of the lowest rank.
d. Used as the title for such a nobleman.
2.
a. A feudal tenant holding his rights and title directly from a king or another feudal superior.
b. A lord or nobleman; a peer.
3. One having great wealth, power, and influence in a specified sphere of activity: an oil baron.
4. A cut of beef consisting of a double sirloin.
[Middle English, from Old French, probably of Germanic origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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