magnate

[ mag-neyt, -nit ]

/ ˈmæg neɪt, -nɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR magnate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a person of eminence or distinction in any field: literary magnates.

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

Nearby words

magnaflux, magnalium, magnanimity, magnanimous, magnanimously, magnate, magnesia, magnesite, magnesium, magnesium arsenate, magnesium carbonate

Origin of magnate

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

Related forms

mag·nate·ship, noun

Can be confused

magnate magnet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for magnate

He gained infamy (and a Lifetime movie) for pretending to be a magnate's heir.
Fake Rockefeller, Real Murder: The Case of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter|Christine Pelisek|March 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In 2006, the Left Front government invited the magnate Ratan Tata to set up his Nano factory at Singur.
Mamata Banerjee, India's Political Superwoman|Shoma Chaudhury|May 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST
What brought Stephanie Seymour and her magnate husband, Peter Brant, back together after an ugly divorce battle?
A Supermodel's Shocking Reunion|Jacob Bernstein|September 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Citizen was the proper term now,—Citizen General Wilkinson when that magnate came to town, resplendent in his brigadier's uniform.
The Crossing|Winston Churchill

"I think you said this place was on the road to Syria," said the magnate.
Asiatic Breezes|Oliver Optic
He could see the magnate of Pinchbrook start, compress his lips and clinch his fists, when he found the bird had flown.
The Soldier Boy; or, Tom Somers in the Army|Oliver Optic
The room was the audience chamber of the palace, and the magnate of the occasion invited her to a seat on the dais at his side.
Four Young Explorers|Oliver Optic
It was the girl he had seen on the horse that morning, the magnate's daughter.
Curlie Carson Listens In|Roy J. Snell

British Dictionary definitions for magnate

magnate

/ (ˈmæɡneɪt, -nɪt) /

noun

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

history a great nobleman

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

Derived Forms

magnateship, noun

Word Origin for magnate

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

magnate

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of magnate

Related forms

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for magnate

British Dictionary definitions for magnate

magnate

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for magnate