zaibatsu
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of zaibatsu
First recorded in 1935–40; from Japanese, equivalent to zai “wealth,” (from Middle Chinese dzoi, Mandarin Chinese cái ) + batsu “powerful clique” (from Middle Chinese bjot “powerful family,” Mandarin Chinese fá ); cf. chaebol ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mitsubishi became one of Japan’s first zaibatsu, family-owned business conglomerates with financial and industrial branches influential in Japanese politics.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
And that’s actually really similar to the Japanese zaibatsu model from the prewar times, which I find really interesting.
From The Verge • Apr. 10, 2020
A creation of one of the zaibatsu, or business cartels, that dominated Japan's early industrialization period, Nikkei struggled for years against public apathy.
From Time Magazine Archive
The zaibatsu depend for leadership on the financiers of their powerful banks, have set up central liaison councils with euphemistic names designed to attract as little attention as possible.
From Time Magazine Archive
Matsushita managed to exist alongside the grasping zaibatsu by slipping into a cranny of industry they cared nothing about: consumer goods.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
