merchant prince

American  

noun

1. a very wealthy or influential merchant.

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merchant prince British  

noun

1. a very wealthy merchant

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Etymology

Origin of merchant prince

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

He was a Massachusetts merchant prince, she a Michigan schoolteacher, and in 1892 they bought what would become their 17,700-acre Malibu kingdom.

From Los Angeles Times

“I was the son of this kind of displaced merchant prince,” Mr. Goldman told The Times in 1993.

From New York Times

In both movies, the mermaid Ariel wants out of her widowed father’s underwater kingdom and into the arms of the earthbound merchant prince whom she rescues in a shipwreck.

From New York Times

“I learned to be a merchant prince in women’s lingerie,” he said.

From Washington Post

With the arrival of Mr. Drexler — who soon became known as the “merchant prince” — came the pocket tees, the khakis and the sweaters that would signal an end to the brand’s youth.

From New York Times