Grandee

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɡɹænˈdiː/

Definitions

1. A person of very high rank or status, typically a noble or influential dignitary
2. An individual holding a prestigious position in the aristocracy or elite society
3. Someone recognized as a leading figure with significant social or political importance

Etymology: Spanish grandes were the highest rank of the nobility, men whose status was so exalted that they could remain covered in the presence of the king. English borrowed the title from Spanish "grande," the adjective meaning "large" or "great," so a grandee was, quite literally, a "great one." The Spanish word itself descends from Latin "grandis," which carried the same sense of size and magnitude. That makes "grandee" a doublet of two more familiar English words, "grand" and "grande." All three trace back to the same Latin source but reached English by different routes: "grand" came through French, while "grandee" and "grande" came straight from Spanish. The same Latin root thus produced a dignified courtly title and an everyday adjective used to describe anything impressive.

Synonyms: noble, aristocrat, magnate