magnate

[mag-neyt, -nit]

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.

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 formsmag·nate·ship, noun

Can be confusedmagnate magnet

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

Related Words for magnate

merchant, tycoon, capitalist, mogul, financier, aristocrat, noble, name, figure, VIP, plutocrat, notable, personage, chief, businessperson, lion, industrialist, bigwig, peer, leader

Examples from the Web for magnate

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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

Historical Examples of magnate

Then, as a new thought came to the magnate, he spoke with a trace of anxiety.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Then he dropped to a seat on the couch, and proceeded to make his confidences to the magnate.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
The magnate, red-faced and angry, returned with him to the station.
The Depot Master
Joseph C. Lincoln
The boy grinned bashfully and opined the magnate just mentioned was "all right."
Shavings
Joseph C. Lincoln
He was dressed like a magnate who was also a person of taste.
The Market-Place
Harold Frederic

British Dictionary definitions for magnate

magnate

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 Formsmagnateship, 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

Word Origin and History for magnate

mid-15c., "great man, noble, man of wealth," from Late Latin magnates, plural of magnas "great person, nobleman," from Latin magnus "great, large, big" (of size), "abundant" (of quantity), "great, considerable" (of value), "strong, powerful" (of force); of persons, "elder, aged," also, figuratively, "great, mighty, grand, important," from PIE *mag-no-, from root *meg- "great" (cf. Sanskrit maha-, mahat- "great;" Greek megas, fem. megale "great, large;" Gothic mikils, Old English micel "great, big, many;" see mickle).