nabob

English

Etymology

In colloquial usage in English since 1612, from Urdu > Persian > the honorific plural of Arabic نائب (nā’ib, “deputy”).

Noun

nabob (plural nabobs)

1. An Indian ruler within the Mogul empire; a nawab.
2. (by extension) Someone of great wealth or importance.
3. (by extension) A person with a grandiose style or manner.

Translations

an Indian ruler

French: nabab (fr) m. Hungarian: nábob (hu)

Swedish: nabob (sv)

someone of great wealth

French: nabab (fr) m. Hungarian: nábob (hu)

Italian: nababbo (it) Swedish: nabob (sv)

someone with grandiose style or manner

French: nabab (fr) m.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:wealthy

Derived terms

• Nob Hill (San Francisco)

References

• Nabobs: A Study of the Social Life of the English in the Eighteenth-Century, Percival Spear, Oxford University Press, London 1938; New Edition OUP, USA: 1998.
• Durham's Place-Names of the San Francisco Bay Area, David L. Durham, Quill Driver Books, California: 2000.