baron

See also: Baron, báron, barón, and bâron

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbæɹən/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

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

Noun

baron (plural barons, feminine baroness)

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. (Britain, 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.

6. (law, obsolete) A husband.

   baron and feme: husband and wife

7. Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Euthalia.

Derived terms

• baron and femme
• barony
• baronship
• robber baron

Related terms

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

Translations

male ruler of a barony

• Albanian: baron (sq) m
• Armenian: բարոն (hy) (baron)
• Asturian: barón 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)
• Interlingue: baron
• Irish: barún m, barúin m pl
• Italian: barone (it) m

• Japanese: 男爵 (ja) (だんしゃく, danshaku)
• Khmer: ឃុន (km) (kʰun)
• Latvian: barons, brīvkungs m
• Lithuanian: baronas (lt) m
• Macedonian: барон m (baron)
• Manchu: ᠠᠰᡥᠠᠨ ᡳ
  ᡥᠠᡶᠠᠨ (ashan i hafan)
• 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)
• Portuguese: barão (pt) m
• Russian: баро́н (ru) m (barón)
• 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)

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baːˈrɔn/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ba‧ron
• Rhymes: -ɔn

Noun

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

1. baron

Derived terms

• barones
• oliebaron

---

Esperanto

Pronunciation

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

Noun

baron

1. 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)

1. (dated) baron, lord, noble landowner

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• borna

---

Javanese

Other scripts
Carakan	ꦧꦫꦺꦴꦤ꧀
Roman	baron

Etymology 1

baru +‎ -an

Noun

baron (krama-ngoko baron)

1. young plant, especially coffee

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Dutch baron (“baron”).

Noun

baron (krama-ngoko baron)

1. 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 French

Etymology

From Old French baron.

Noun

baron m (plural barons)

1. baron (nobleman)

Descendants

• French: baron

---

Norman

Noun

baron m (plural barons)

1. Alternative form of bâron

---

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

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

Noun

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

1. a baron

Related terms

• baronesse

References

• “baron” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

---

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

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

Noun

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

1. a baron

Related terms

• baronesse

References

• “baron” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

---

Old Dutch

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

baron

1. to reveal, to make public

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: bāren
  • Dutch: baren

Further reading

• “baron”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

---

Old French

Alternative forms

• baroun, barun, ber

Etymology

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.

Noun

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

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

Synonyms

• (husband): seignor, mari

Descendants

• 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

---

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

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

Noun

bàrōn m (Cyrillic spelling ба̀ро̄н)

1. baron (title of nobility)

---

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

baron c (feminine: baronessa)

1. 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