magnate

noun
/ˈmæɡneɪt/

Etymology

Borrowed into late Middle English from Late Latin magnātēs, plural of magnās, from magnus (“great”), mid 15th c.

  1. derived from magnātēs

Definitions

  1. Powerful industrialist

    Powerful industrialist; captain of industry.

    • I have decided to become an oil magnate, after spending quite some time reading the dictionary definition of the word magnate.
    • With a suitable amount of life experience under her belt, she sat down and conjured up the sexiest, most delicious Italian wine magnate she could imagine, had him make his biggest mistake, and gave him a wife on the run.
    • Sir Richard Branson is an English business magnate, best known as the founder of the multimillion-pound Virgin Group, which consists of more than four hundred companies.
  2. A person of rank, influence or distinction in any sphere.

    • He mingled with the Magnates of his land; / Join'd the carousals of the great and gay, […]
  3. In medieval and early modern Italy, a member of a legally defined category of especially…

    In medieval and early modern Italy, a member of a legally defined category of especially wealthy patrician families, often deprived of the right to political participation by republican governments.

    • Those considered politically dangerous could be excluded from office by declaring them magnates, while cancellation of magnate status was a mark of favour, a means of political patronage.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for magnate. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA