magnate

[mag-neyt, -nit]

noun

1. a person of great influence, importance, or standing in a particular enterprise, field of business, etc..

   a railroad magnate.

2. a person of eminence or distinction in any field.

   literary magnates.

3. a member of the former upper house in either the Polish or Hungarian parliament.

magnate

/ ˈmæɡneɪt, -nɪt /

noun

1. a person of power and rank in any sphere, esp in industry

2. history a great nobleman

3. (formerly) a member of the upper chamber in certain European parliaments, as in Hungary

Other Word Forms

• magnateship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of magnate¹

1400–50; back formation from Middle English magnates (plural) < Late Latin magnātēs leading people, equivalent to Latin magn ( us ) magn- + -ātēs, plural of -ās noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of magnate¹

C15: back formation from earlier magnates from Late Latin: great men, plural of magnās, from Latin magnus great

Example Sentences

They described James as a germaphobe and “nerdy,” a man who could pass for an engineer or computer programmer more easily than an industrial magnate.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Another Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, once said that his yacht, the 325-foot Christina O—which hosted luminaries including Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy—was “the best office in the world.”

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Railroad magnate and speculator Jay Gould was dubbed “the Mephistopheles of Wall Street” by ministers on the pulpit.

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A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty Monday to two federal crimes in connection with his side work for a cryptocurrency magnate who referred to himself as “the Godfather.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The social media magnate announced in January that the company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, would implement a startling fact-checking shutdown in the United States, as well as rollbacks to its hate speech policy worldwide.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• aristocrat 
• capitalist 
• financier 
• merchant 
• mogul 
• tycoon